#NANCY FINDING OUT ROBIN SAVED HER??? BECAUSE ROBIN IS THE ONLY ONE WHO EVER CARED???

[fullofsurprisesisntshe]

OH MY GOD?!!! ROBIN REMEMBERED??? DUFFERS WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS

still can't believe they didn't do anything with nancy getting vecna'd. robin knows what music she listens to. she could have saved her. it could've been a whole thing. she could have held nancy. WHEN I GET YOU DUFFER BROTHERS WHEN I GET YOU!!!1

[yournowheregirl]

something something hercules (1997) au but make it ronance

there’s robin, who always felt like an outcast and a klutz, even when her parents reassured her that she was perfect just the way she was. not that the people at the market place would agree - they only saw her as a nuisance who made a mess with every step she took. 

it’s not until she throws a discus with a little too much force and it causes the entire market place building to tumble into pieces, that her parents sit her down and tell her that they found her as a baby of just a couple months old, all alone in the rain with nothing but a blanket and a golden medallion on her neck. a medallion that clearly belonged to the gods. they raised her as their own, but deep down, robin’s parents always knew that she belonged some place else.

determined to find out where she came from, robin sets out on a journey to the temple of the gods, where she finds out that she is actually a demi-god and if she wants to join her family on mount olympus, she has to become a true hero herself. the gods send her on her way to an island where a recluse, former hero is supposed to reside. 

he’ll train you to become a true hero, they said, but they left out the part where recluse-former-hero steve doesn’t want anything to do with heroes anymore. not when he had fallen from grace, lost his reputation and everyone laughed at him like he was some kind of joke. but there’s something about robin that gets under his skin and despite his general bitchiness, steve agrees to train robin into becoming the hero she’s destined to be. 

steve doesn’t take it easy on her. they’re up at the crack of dawn every day and don’t stop the exercises until the sun goes down. but despite the strict training schedule and robin’s weird running, she succeeds to conquer even the toughest challenges that steve puts out for her. and hey, if she bulks up in the meantime, that’s only a perk.

once steve deems her ready, the two of them set off in the direction of a nearby city, only to pass a river where the river guardian seems to have taken a hold of a woman in distress. robin sees this as her chance to put all her training into action and storms towards the river, ignoring steve’s protests. but neither the river guardian or the woman in distress seem to be very impressed by her and robin can feel her heart sink for just a moment. but she regains herself quickly and within a few minutes, robin throws the the river guardian against a nearby rock formation and knocks him unconscious.

but there’s not much time to gloat or enjoy her victory, because there was still that damsel in distress that she needs to take care of and oh- oh wow. she’s gorgeous. robin can hear herself rambling when the woman introduces herself as nancy and her face flushes bright red when nancy grins at her and calls her ‘wonder girl’. but before robin can offer her any more help - not that nancy seemed to need it - nancy waves her goodbye and disappears within the forest.

little does robin know that nancy is not all that she seems. that she traded her soul to the god of the underworld to save her best friend barb from dying, only for hades to trick her and have barb die only a few weeks later. and now nancy’s stuck being hades’ lackey, the same hades who has had his eyes set on robin ever since he had learned she would be the to defeat him one day. 

after defeating the hydra sent to torture the people of thebes by hades, robin’s heroism sky-rockets to fame and with every other monster she slays, her star seems to rise more and more. she doesn’t really know what to do with all the attention, all the people that used to turn their backs to her suddenly seem to love her. she didn’t really sign up for all of this. she just wanted to be with her family, to know where she came from and now she’s posing for a portrait? what has her life become?

all that robin wants is a break, just a day off, but steve doesn’t seem to listen to her. he’s too busy planning yet another one of robin’s appearances and making sure she stays in shape if the next monster arrives. robin’s this close to giving up, especially when the gods don’t seem to think that she’s a true hero, when nancy shows up and convinces her to play hooky for the day.

nancy’s just as beautiful and smart and amazing as robin remembers her being and she just knows that nancy is special. she can feel it in the way her skin starts to tingle when nancy grabs her hand and drags her to another market stall to look at jewelry. she can feel it in the way a blush covers her cheeks when she makes nancy laugh. she can even feel it in the way that nancy looks at her and robin decides then and there to never let nancy go.

sure, it’s weird when nancy suddenly starts talking about weak ankles and asking her a million questions about weaknesses, but maybe that’s just nancy’s way of flirting, who knows? all that robin knows is that nancy’s face turns the most beautiful shade of pink when they kiss good night and that nothing can get in their way.

well, except for a certain god of the underworld.

you see, hades showed up just moments after nancy realized that, despite trying her very best to avoid it, she actually has feelings for robin. and since hades still holds her soul in his hands, nancy has no choice but to cooperate with his plan, which is exactly when steve just happens to walk by. 

steve tries to warn robin about nancy but robin won’t listen to him. he tries and he tries until robin just snaps and pushes him away, which with her demi-god strength, causes steve to fly across the field. the regret is instant, but even though robin tries to make things right, she watches steve turn his back towards her and disappear into the night.

whatever. she doesn’t need steve. she knows what to do, how to train, plus she’s got nancy now. steve’s probably just jealous that she’s got her life together and he has turned into her number two. 

except, she really needs steve by her side when hades suddenly shows up and starts rambling about some plan of his and her not using her strength for a full day. robin tries to wave him off, but when nancy suddenly appears out of nowhere, her limbs bound in rings of smoke, she has no choice but to agree with hades’ terms. 

as long as nancy stays safe from harm.

her strength being taken away feels... weird. robin knows this is how everyone else is supposed to feel but she feels so weak, like a gust of air could knock her over. or you know, when hades reveals that nancy has been working for him all along. but robin doesn’t even have the energy to be upset about it, no matter how many times nancy tries to apologize, there’s an actual cyclops roaming the streets and robin’ll be damned if more innocent people get hurt. 

of course, without her demi-god strength, robin doesn’t really stand a chance against this titan, not even when nancy manages to convince steve to come back and help robin fight. even though her strength is gone, robin still has her wits and with a little help of some fire and a rope, she sends the titan to a plummeting death. 

but as she does so, the shock of the titan hitting the ground knocks over a pillar. a pillar that supposed to hit her, if it wasn’t for nancy pushing her aside. but while robin survives, the pillar crushes nancy instantly and robin can feel the blood drain from her face. no, no, no, this can’t be happening. she sprints towards nancy with all the energy she has left and despite knowing better, she tries to lift up the pillar.

which is surprisingly easy now that her demi-god strength returns to her as she remembers her deal with hades - as long as nancy stays safe from harm. tears fill robin’s eyes as she tries to make sense of nancy’s actions, only for nancy to cup her face gently and smile when she says, people do crazy things when they’re in love. 

before nancy’s words can even register in her brain, nancy urges robin to stop hades before it’s too late and with her sword drawn, robin rushes to mount olympus. the battle is rough, with tornados and lava and ice coming her way but together with the other gods, robin is victorious. she expects hades to look defeated, but he looks way too happy when he says he’s got an old friend who’s just dying to see him.

robin’s heart sinks to the floor as she realizes who hades could be talking about. she runs as fast as her legs will carry her, but when she returns to the scene and sees steve looking at her with those big, sad eyes of his, she knows it’s too late. 

she holds nancy’s lifeless body in her arms, trying to will away the tears that are running down her cheeks, when she suddenly has an idea. it’s a dumb idea, a very stupid and reckless idea, but what does she have to lose? steve tries to hold her back, his eyes filled with tears as well, but robin knows she has to do it. there’s no other way.

the underworld is grey and, obviously, devoid of any life but even though it creeps her out, robin demands to be taken to see nancy. she’s led to a maelstrom of souls and her eyes immediately land on nancy’s soul, floating away into darkness. but as she tries to reach for her, robin’s hands turn into bones. hades grins and tells her there’s no way to get nancy back, but robin has other plans. 

she agrees on a deal with hades - nancy’s soul for her own - and as soon as he shakes her hand on it, robin dives into the maelstrom. she has to beat off other souls who cling onto her, desperate to return to the land of the living, and she feels the life being sucked out of her as she swims deeper and deeper. she doesn’t care about any of that, nancy deserves to live, no matter what.

just when the fates are about to cut her thread of life and end her life right then and there, robin feels something happening to her body. all the life that had been drained out of her suddenly returns in ten fold and as she holds nancy’s soul in her arms, she glows. she glows like a god.

after kicking hades’ ass into the maelstrom of souls, robin rushes back to where steve is guarding nancy’s lifeless body. she carefully lays down nancy’s soul and waits with bated breath until the color returns to nancy’s face. tears roll down robin’s face for the second time that day but this time, they are tears of joy when nancy opens her eyes and smiles at her, alive and well. robin scoops her up in her arms and kisses her until they both have to pull away from air (or, you know, when steve clears his throat when it takes them a moment too long to part). 

and when the gods invite her to join mount olympus, now that’s she an actual god and all, robin shakes her head and tells them no. she already found a place where she belongs, and it’s right here. right next to nancy and steve.

[lonesome-witching]

You're My Cure

As requested by an anonymous prompter, this is my first ever ronance hanahaki au. Where Nancy is suffering and Robin needs to safe her. It was a little out of my comfort zone but I had fun writing it.

Do you have any prompts yourself? Or do you want to dive into what I wrote before? You can read my previous prompts or send me some new ones.

It started on a Sunday. Nancy had just gotten home. She vaguely registered that her hanging out at the video store for four hours every Sunday just to talk to Robin without Steve looking over her shoulder wasn’t normal. But she just couldn’t stop.

And as she realized that, for perhaps the first time, but if she was being honest the third time, it happened. She felt something scratch her throat, coughed a few times and watched as a flower petal exited her mouth. It was red, possibly covering up the specks of blood Nancy thought might be on it.

IF something like this had happened a few years ago, she would have started freaking out. Now she just sighed. She’d head to sleep, and, in the morning, she’d search for answers at the library. She wasn’t convinced she’d find anything. But she wouldn’t get worried until it happened for the third time. And she wouldn’t ask for help until then. There weren’t many people she could ask for help anyway, and the last thing she wanted was to worry someone.

Especially not Robin.

So, Nancy just fell on her bed face first and succumbed to her current predicament. But she was too tired to think of a logical explanation, she was too tired for anything.

It continued on Monday morning. First thing in the morning. Nancy woke up coughing. Another flower petal fell on her duvet. She sighed as she threw the covers to the side and walked to take a shower. The water was too hot, burning her skin. She didn’t care.

Nancy spent all day in the library. Nine hours. Reading through every book that might possibly have some information on her condition. Nothing in the medical section, which made sense. Nothing anywhere else. Except for one book. Squeezed into the corner of the shelf, in between some Japanese books. Hanahaki disease.

It had a name, and somehow that made it better. As she kept on reading, that feeling dissipated.

She pressed the phone against her ear. “It just means that I’ll keep coughing up flowers until I die.”

“There’s got to be a way to save you,” Jonathan responded from the other side of the line. He sounded worried.

“There is something that could save me.”

“What is it?”

“Well, it says that Hanahaki disease is only ever caused by one sided love. Getting them to fall in love with you, that heals you.” Nancy held open the book, reading the pages for another way out.

“Okay, so who are you love with? Steve?” It sounded like it hurt him to say that name.

“No, I’m definitely not in love with Steve.”

“Are you in love with me?”

Nancy must have been imagining the excitement in his voice. She hoped she was. Otherwise, these next words might be very painful.

“No, Jonathan, I’m not in love with you.”

“Well, please tell me you didn’t fall in love with Eddie because that might remain one sided, since he’s dead,” Jonathan whispered the last word.

“I am not in love with Eddie.”

“Okay, good,” Jonathan breathed. “Who else is there?”

The realization hit her. She was going to die. She was in love with Robin and it was causing her death. She was in love with Robin. It was Robin. She whispered the name. “Robin.”

“What?” Jonathan asked. He hadn’t heard her. She didn’t want to repeat herself. “Nancy, what did you say?”

She closed the book. “Robin. I think I’m in love with Robin.”

“Oh.”

Nancy hung up the phone. She didn’t want to hear his reaction. She wished she hadn’t said anything. Another coughing fit erupted, two flower petals crushed in her hand as she walked to her car.

Her options were limited. She could try to get Robin to fall in love with her. As if that was her choice to make. Or she could die. Much easier. A few weeks ago, she might have picked the easy way out. But present-day Nancy drove to Family Video.

She didn’t have a step-by-step plan on getting a girl to fall in love with her, especially not Robin. She had no idea how to get started. But at least with this plan she’d be spending her time with Robin. Perhaps the last moments of her life. She liked the idea of spending them with Robin.

The bell above the door was annoying though. She wondered if she could convince Robin to bail on her job. Maybe if she told her she was dying. She wouldn’t. The last thing she’d do was manipulate Robin with her situation. She wasn’t going to use it against her.

“Nancy?” Robin greeted her. There was a smile spreading on her face. Nancy mimicked the expression.

“Hi, Robin.”

“What are you doing here? Not that you are not allowed to be here. And I am excited to see you. I’m very excited you are here. I just wasn’t expecting you, is all.”

Nancy opened her mouth to reply, starting to cough instead. It hurt more than before. She felt like she was chocking, like something was blocking her airways. One of her hands reached for the counter to hold herself up. But she still folded herself double to deal with the pain. Her free hand covering her mouth, expecting some more flower petals. Instead, a full flower was coughed up. Her chest hurt. Her throat hurt. There was a drop of blood hanging on the corner of her mouth. She was vaguely aware that wasn’t good.

“Nance, are you okay? Should I call an ambulance? Nancy? Nance, what should I do?” Robin was shouting. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Steve rush in from the back.

“I’m fine, I’m alright.” With the back of her hand she cleaned off her mouth.

“No offense but you do not look okay. What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine.”

“Nance,” Robin pleaded.

“I have something called Hanahaki disease.”

“What is that?” Steve finally spoke. He had been standing in silence for a while now, just leaning over Robin’s shoulder.

“It’s a disease where you cough up flowers.”

“How did you get it? It’s not contagious, is it?”

“No, it’s caused by having an unreciprocated crush.”

“Anyway, to get rid of it?’

Nancy cleared her throat. She felt another flower petal scratching, ready to come out. “There is one way. If the love is reciprocated, the disease fades away. That’s the only way.” That was a lie. It could be surgically removed. But removing it would remove Robin from her life. She wouldn’t remember how Robin’s smile made her feel. And she couldn’t risk that. She’d rather die.

“Well, who is it? Who are you in love with?” Robin asked. The smile had vanished off her face. Of course it had.

“Someone who can’t love me back.”

“You don’t know that.” Steve tried his best to sound comforting.

“Why did you come here, Nance?” Robin’s eyes looked sad. Maybe she knew. Maybe she felt guilty about it. Maybe she felt like she was murdering her friend. Her friend who had a crush on her. Her friend who was in love with her.

“I think you know.”

“You really want to die in a video rental store?”

Nancy wasn’t sure. Maybe. If it meant dying in Robin’s arms, she’d be okay with it.

“Maybe Steve should drive you home?” Robin offered.

“I can still drive myself home.”

“You really want to be alone right now?”

“No,” Nancy admitted.

“Maybe Robin should go with you? Maybe she can help?” Steve chimed in. If she survived the end of the day, she might thank him for it.

“Yeah, that sounds great.”

“Are you sure?” Robin stood up straight. Ready to leave.

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

Robin’s long legs made her faster than Nancy. Unless they were running. Then Nancy could beat Robin. She really was a weird runner. But they didn’t run to Nancy’s car. Just walked. Ever so slowly.

“I’m confused,” Robin said as she sat down in the passenger’s seat. She never was good at keeping quiet.

“What about?” Nancy coughed a few times before being able to start the car. A rose petal ended up in her hand. She ignored it.

“I thought you were in love with Steve. That that was the reason you came to the store.”

“I just didn’t want to be alone.”

“But then who is it?”

Nancy wondered if rejection would speed up the process. She kept her mouth shut, continuing the drive to the Wheeler residence. Dying in her childhood home had some poetic meaning to it. Perfect for some type of meaningful movie or something.

“It’s not Steve. It’s definitely not Jonathan, you guys just broke up and I’m pretty sure he’s still pining over you. So, who is it?” Robin had been able to keep her mouth shut until they were walking up to Nancy’s room.

“I don’t feel too good, Robs. Can we talk about this tomorrow?”

“I don’t know if you’ll make it that long.”

At least Robin was being honest. It was a comfort. “Robin, can you please just hold me?” Maybe it was too much of a giveaway. But Nancy needed this.

“Yeah, sure, if you want me to?”

Nancy nodded, laying down on her bed. More coughing. More petals. But Robin’s arm covered her waist. It almost felt like she’d be okay.

“Nancy?”

“Yes?”

“Who are you in love with?” Robin whispered, her lips close to Nancy’s ear.

“This feels nice. Dying like this isn’t so bad.”

“You’re not dying, Nance. I’m not going to let you die.”

“I think it might be too late for that now, Robs.”

“You’re not allowed to die, Nance. You are not allowed to leave me. I— Nance, I can’t lose you. I can’t. I just can’t.”

Nancy stroked Robin’s hand. Her fingers touching each of the knuckles. “I don’t know if there is anything, I can do about it.”

“You can tell me who you’re in love with. Maybe I can call them. You never know how they feel.”

“Robs, you don’t have to call anyone.”

“Nance… Nance, I love you.”

Nancy turned in her arms. Maybe she had misinterpreted. Maybe she was wrong. “What?”

“I can’t lose you, Nance. I love you and I can’t lose you.”

“You love me? What do you mean?”

Robin leaned her forehead against Nancy’s. There were tears in her eyes. “You know what I mean.”

“Kiss me?”

“What?”

“Robin, kiss me.”

Robin pressed her lips against Nancy’s. Nancy could feel the weight inside her chest vanish. She could feel her throat heal. She could feel her heart speed up. She felt alive.

[unfinishedslurs]

Nancy as Orpheus (stoncy)

inspired by this work by aletterinthenameofsanity

“My boys,” Nancy snaps, like the words are ripping themselves out of her chest, “are in that hellhole. I’m not leaving them there.”

Eddie pales further, and for a moment Nancy resents him. For caring about her, for trying to stop her. “You’ll die,” he says quietly. “I can’t—I can’t come with you like this. Wait for Robin, Nancy, please.”

She doesn’t know how Eddie ever thought himself a coward, when it’s so clear that he’d follow her if he were capable of walking. He’s not hers, not like Steve and Jonathan are, but he cares so much. Her heart swells. “I won’t die. Not without them.”

“Nancy—“

She smiles as reassuringly as she can. “We’ll be back before you know it.”

“And if you’re not?”

“Write a song about me.”

“Come and get them, Nancy Wheeler,”  he coons in her mind. It’s a cold feeling, slithering up her spine like a snake. She doesn’t let it get to her, just takes a deep breath and grips the knife on her hip. 

The Creel house is only two miles from here. As long as she stays away from the vines and keeps quiet, the monsters can’t find her. And if she makes a mistake, Henry won’t tell them.  

He thinks himself a god. All-seeing, all-knowing. Omnipotent and powerful. He’ll let her get close, let her see the life bleed from their eyes before he kills her. He made one fatal mistake, though, and it’s that he underestimated her. 

He’s more than a man, but not as much as he thinks. And she’s Nancy fucking Wheeler. 

She’s getting out of here, and her boys are coming with her.

“You’d lay claim to them?” He smiles, cruel and awful. “You, who doesn’t deserve it? Death follows you like a lover, Nancy, like these boys do. How long did you think you could go without leading another to their demise?”

Her hand falters, and he moves closer. “Fred makes a lovely decoration, don’t you think?”

Unbidden, her eyes follow his gaze to one of the pillars, and she gasps, tears springing to her eyes when she sees the mangled body there. God, Fred. 

“He was in so much pain, and you never even noticed he was struggling. Poor boy thought he was going to hell. I saved him, released him from his suffering. Do you believe in Heaven, Nancy Wheeler? Barb did.”

Barb went to church every Sunday. Prayed every night, hands clasped at the foot of her bed. Once, during a sleepover, Nancy heard her asking forgiveness. When she asked what for, Barb turned pale and quietly, firmly told her it was nothing. 

“She thought she was in love with you. She needed salvation. I gave that to her. Sad, lonely little Barbara, bleeding while her best friend abandoned her to the mercy of a monster. Was it worth it, Nancy?”

She can’t stop staring at Fred, even as her vision blurs. Barb, her first friend, her first kiss, her closest confidant. Sixteen and alone and dying because Nancy was young and ready and willing to leave her behind for a boy.

“Was it worth it?”

She shakes her head. 

[rageagainsttheapathy]

MERLIN STRANGER THINGS STEDDIE AU

Prince Steve who starts off arrogant and prattish because of his strict father and asshole noble friends, but cares deeply for his people and wants more than anything to be a good ruler, who makes constant fun of Eddie as his new manservant but it gets fonder and fonder as time goes on and in the end can’t imagine living without him.

Newly arrived warlock Eddie who was born with magic and gets sent to live with his Uncle Wayne in Camelot in the hopes that he can learn to control his gifts and find his place away from the small village he grew up in, only to end up in the service of the Worst Man Ever ™️ who is loud and demanding and privileged and… strong, and kind of caring, he guesses, and also protected him that one time and tries to cheer him up in this really emotionally stunted but genuine kind of way and - no he does not like him!

Lady Nancy, the King’s ward who is furious at the injustice she sees throughout the kingdom, who champions druids and magic users and isn’t afraid to confront Steve about his worst tendencies. (No Evil! Nancy in this au - she has an arc that involves her stepping close to vengeance, because she’s tired of being nice and wants so badly to go apeshit, but in the end is saved from that path by the power of friendship and this Big Sword she found) she ends up advisor to the throne once King Jackass finally dies, and forces Steve to promote Robin to the same position, even though Steve planned to do exactly that anyway, that’s his Best Friend, Nancy, what do you take him for?

Maidservant Robin who becomes fast friends with Eddie when he first arrives, who is fiercely loyal to Lady Nancy and constantly annoyed with Steve - right up until they start spending time together and save each other’s lives and there’s a brief moment when Steve thinks that he’s in love with her because she’s pretty and clever and isn’t afraid to yell at him but they very quickly realise that they’re better as friends, not least because Robin is totally in love with Nancy.

Jonathan as a knight, who appears and saves the day and also kicks Steve’s ass on the training field, who protects Eddie when he finds out his secret and then goes off to do his ‘lone wolf’ thing à là Lancelot

Argyle as a Druid who hangs around outside Camelot and gives cryptic but helpful advice and also takes in wounded travellers and nurses them back to health (cough, Jonathan, cough) who later helps Eddie to accept the hard parts of being destined for something.

All the kids are there too, of course, but I haven’t decided what I want them to be and Hopper should be a Leon-Esque figure who starts of a distant and stoic knight of the Old Guard but slowly becomes closer to the main group, acting as a father figure and also occasionally going Beserker mode in battle because why not

Joyce gets to be a whole new character! Because there is a tragic lack of women in Merlin canon who show up for more than one episode. Something something convoluted side plot in which she shows up in Camelot looking for her missing eldest son who ran away to be a knight, cue Steve sending Hopper, his most mature and loyal knight to accompany her on her quest, during which they encounter multiple obstacles, engage in Shenanigans, and fall in love, much to the horror of Jonathan who has to watch them kissing after they slay the Generic Magical Beast of the week

[thesaintofnevergettingitright]

Oh thank god, I actually came up with an idea for the steddie bigbang. I was so scared I was gonna sign up and then freeze.

(brainstorm word vomit beneath the cut if anyone’s curious lol)

it’s not fully flushed out yet, but I’m thinking of going with an

~*~Orpheus/Eurydice Retelling~*~

I feel like the whole “drag your one true love out of hell but if you look at them you’ll both DIE” thing has very Steddie energy, ya know??

BUT I want Steve to be motivated mostly by Dustin and Lucas’s grief (at first)

cuz I think that Dustin would take Eddie’s death HARD. Like harder than the end of the last season would have us believe

especially since I’m thinking that, after Dustin tells him that Eddie’s gone, Wayne leaves Hawkins because he can’t stand being alone in the familiar place with all the memories etc. (which is very fair and valid)

but I think losing that one connection to Eddie would be the last straw for Dustin’s poor traumatized soul

Meanwhile Max isn’t snapping out of her coma and with every day that goes by, Lucas gets more and more withdrawn.

It gets to the point where Lucas isn’t talking to ANYONE and is spending every waking moment in the hospital. It’s unhealthy.

and so both Dustin and Lucas are getting more and more consumed by grief and Steve can see it happening and feels totally helpless to do anything

so he gets more and more desperate to find a way to FIX IT because the only thing he’s ever been able to do right is to TAKE CARE of these kids and now he’s FAILING

and the harder he tries to help, the harder Dustin pushes him away and the further Lucas retreats into himself

until finally Dustin lashes out in some way and blames Steve for everything that went wrong and says something hurtful (cuz he’s a deeply traumatized and grief-stricken child.)

and Lucas stops eating or sleeping and starts sneaking out of the house to spend even MORE time at the hospital

no! I lied! actually what Lucas starts doing is spending more and more time sleeping and no one really understands why (other than standard grief reasons)

finally Erica gets so worried that she goes to steve for help

So steve and erica (and robin because she and steve are a package deal) research the upside down and mythology and D&D and theoretical science and whatever else they can to try to find a way to make everything BETTER (I think Steve is claiming that he’s mostly focused on Max and getting her back, but he’s fully willing to do whatever it takes to get eddie back for dustin, including fucked up magic or sacrificing himself or WHATEVER)

this results in them adding eleven and will to the research crew cuz they need Upside Down experts

(I was thinking nancy might be a part of the research team, but actually maybe the wheelers leave town? In fact I think Nancy herself might pressure her parents into leaving for they sake of Holly’s safety? And mike would probably flat-out refuse to leave and end up staying with the Byers-Hopper clan, but I think Nancy would be haunted enough by Vecna’s vision that she’d do whatever it took to keep her family safe)

And they keep coming up empty on the research until Steve finds Eddie’s D&D notes for the campaign he was planning on running after they defeated Vecna

it was going to be a home-brew based on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, but tweaked to fit better into D&D rules/logic, where the goal of the campaign was to save a god and a goddess who were trapped between worlds

Eddie based his version on the orpheus/eurydice myth, d&d lore, and some satanic rituals he’d found while searching for new ways to antagonize the entire town lmao.

so robin/erica/steve end up retracing eddie’s steps in all of this research and suddenly Steve “The Hair” Harrington easily knows more about Satanism and like pagan magic than anyone else in Hawkins, probably INCLUDING eddie

somewhere in the middle of all this, steve starts dreaming about eddie and, at first, he thinks it’s just because he’s been thinking about him so much from retracing his steps. But then he starts feeling like the conversations he’s having with dream!eddie are feeling more and more real....

anyway they discover that the main difference between the original myth an the version Eddie came up with is that it would take TWO people to save each trapped god: a rescuer and an anchor

the anchor would help keep the rescuer connected to the “real”/mortal/whatever world, and the rescuer had to have a strong bond with both the person getting rescued AND the anchor

in the campaign, the “rescuer” was going to be determined by prophetic dreams getting sent to specific players, but they all write that off as just part of the game and figure all that’s needed is a strong bond.

so the plan is to send in El to rescue Max with Will acting as her anchor

they all wish they could do something to save eddie, but the focus is on max right now because she’s the one they KNOW is stuck between worlds

and steve and Erica both feel unsure about this plan, but Steve is used to trusting that his friends are smarter and doesn’t even know why he’s so unsure so he’s willing to go along with it...

but it turns out Erica was less willing to just go along with it and has essentially tattled to Dustin about the plan so before they can start the ~ritual~ or whatever, Lucas and Dustin burst through the door yelling incoherently

they’ve discovered two things:

1) it turns out that Lucas has been sleeping so much because he’s been having the same kind of dreams Steve has, but about Max

this prompts Steve to share his dreams with the group, saying that maybe this means that Eddie is actually alive, which Dustin agrees with and adds

2) it’s not just “any” strong bond that will work for the rescuee/rescuer/anchor bonds. Eddie’s notes were right, the rescuer has to be the person receiving dreams about the person stuck in the in-between, and the rescuer/anchor bond has to be FAMILIAL

so this means Eddie is out there and savable, because Steve is having dreams about him. No one really seems to understand WHY that bond manifested between Steve and Eddie, but they just have to roll with it

Lucas and steve are officially the Rescuers(TM)

then dustin gets this stricken look on his face cuz he realizes that Erica can be Lucas’s anchor, but there’s no one to anchor steve cuz his family sucks. so dustin starts insisting that steve shouldn’t go in cuz he’d just get lost along with eddie and that’s not what eddie would want and dustin doesn’t think he’d make it through losing steve too and and and and.....

and then steve shuts him up with a big hug and says something like “what are you talking about? I’ve got my whole family right here, including the world’s most annoying little brother.” *cue dustin sobbing*

just to be safe, both robin AND dustin step in as steve’s anchors

*insert emotional trip through the In Between (which I’ve decided is the name of the place Max and Eddie are stuck in)*

they make it out and there are a lot of very emotional reunions etc. etc. but for some reason eddie is avoiding eye contact with steve

That’s right we’re not done! now it’s time for part 2: just miscommunication and falling in love

so things are kinda awkward and tense between steve and eddie, especially when it’s determined that the smartest thing to do is to get eddie out of town while hopper works on clearing his name and creating a story for How Eddie Munson Isn’t Dead

Which means it’s time for my favorite trope: Road Trip to Murray’s!

Steve insists on coming along with Eddie, not trusting eddie not to disappear again, plus he wants to know why eddie’s been so weird around him ever since they got out of the In Between, plus it makes the most sense: he has a car, and his parents are never home so no one will notice that he’s gone for an extended period of time

When he finally demands eddie tells him what’s going on, turns out eddie is furious that steve risked his life to try to save him. like FUMING. and steve is so confused and distressed because he thought they were really connecting, hell he even thought he might be catching feelings for him....

then eddie doesn’t want steve to feel like he’s responsible for him or like he owes him anything etc. etc.

basically eddie is doing everything he can to push steve away, seemingly under the assumption that steve is there out of obligation

finally, Murray reveals that he’s been snooping through eddie’s stuff and whips out a piece of paper. It’s an as-yet-unknown secret missing page from Eddie’s D&D notes that the gang never found. Turns out the twist of the campaign was going to be something Eddie discovered in his research: the bond/the dreams only work between soulmates (ohmygod the were soulmates)

turns out eddie’s been functioning under the assumption that the soulmate bond went one way, cuz steve is straight (obvs), and thinks that the rescue only worked because he was so pathetically in love with steve, it made up for the deficit

Murray points out that this is stupid

steve also points out that this is stupid

they make out about it

some other stuff happens but that’s the most important parts

the end

[deathb1oomsarchive]

LIZZIE MALONEY

lizzie is an original character based in the stranger things fandom

influences for Lizzie come from stranger things , 80s horror movie tropes , the works of Stephen King , Pink Floyd’s the wall , 80s and 90s cult classics , and personal experiences.

lizzie was born in indianapolis , indiana. she was the second child of her parents josh and hazel maloney , being born two years after her brother daniel maloney. daniel was the golden child , with his straight As and athleticism. he was the apple of their mother's eye and their father's best friend. lizzie , on the other hand , had a rebellious streak and wanted to be everything her parents despised. despite this , lizzie was extremely close to both of her parents , though she was more her daddy's girl.

when lizzie was ten years old , her parents got divorced and her mother quickly remarried. lizzie wanted to live with her father , but the courts wouldn't allow it. instead , she moved into a newer house with her mother , brother , and new step father whose name was richard mullens. she quickly began calling him dick due to their strained relationship. where her parents were understanding and lenient with her acting out , dick was quick to ground her and insult her about her looks and the way she wanted to dress.

three years later , lizzie's father josh was offered an opportunity to work on an oil rig in alaska. he didn't want to leave his kids , but he needed the money so he took the job. this devastated lizzie as she'd been feeling like he was the only person on her side. once he was gone , it became more and more apparent that her mother and step father had been wanting to move away from indianapolis but josh had been standing in their way. with him gone , dick began talking more and more candidly about his work as a scientist and the fact that they were preparing to move to a small town outside of the city.

the family waited for daniel to graduate high school , with honors of course , before packing up and moving to hawkins. daniel planned to attend emerson college and live at home , working part time to try and save up to move out on his own. lizzie was forced to change schools during the summer between her sophomore and junior year.

after the events of season one , sam owens replaced martin brenner as the director of hawkins lab , and richard mullens replaced sam owens as one of the scientists on the project. after this promotion and the move , dick went from being an open book at the dinner table about whatever he was working on to being very secretive. lizzie , obviously , felt like this was a huge red flag but she was the only one in her household that apparently felt that way. she would bring up the fact that he never talked about work anymore and he would snap back with the fact that she never cared before.

because of this , she started snooping through his things and trying to find out what was going on in hawkins.

during season two , lizzie is sort of an outsider at the school. she isn't really interested in fitting in and keeps hoping her dad will move back to indianapolis and let her move back in with him. most of her free time is taken up by her snooping in her step father's things and trying to figure out what's going on with the kid who went missing last year , and the girl that's her age and still missing this year. when at school , she hangs around the same bad news people that eddie munson would hang around with. they don't become friends here , but they do know each other.

lizzie attended barb's funeral , and even cried for her.

during season three , lizzie got a job at the record store inside starcourt mall. she knew of steve harrington and robin buckley , having a couple classes with robin during the previous school year so they were mutual acquaintances. she also met and was friendly with nancy wheeler , and heather holloway was her first real friend in hawkins after the two found out they lived on the same block.

one night after everyone had gone to bed , lizzie was sneaking out of the house when she overheard her step father on a heated phone call in his home office. she heard him complaining about the damn sheriff , saying that he was causing problems and sticking his nose where it didn't belong. later in the conversation , he started talking about magnets and ' ruskies ' and collateral damage. unsure of what to do , she went to talk it out with heather. when she arrived at the holloway house , however , heather was there with billy and both were acting way too out of the ordinary. she refused to come in and talk with them with the door closed.

the next day , after tom holloway fires nancy and jonathan from the post , lizzie decided to reach out to nancy and talk to her about how weird heather had been acting. she wasn't super close with nancy , but she knew that nancy would be able to help her. nancy let her know that she was going up to the hospital to check on mrs. driscoll , and lizzie could meet her there if she wanted.

after telling nancy about the weird way that heather and billy were acting , she goes with them to the wheeler house to discuss with everyone what happened to billy in the sauna. this confirms , based on what lizzie saw , that heather is flayed just like billy and mrs. driscoll.

after leaving the wheeler's house , lizzie went home to try and talk some sense into her step father. she knew that he was involved , and he knew that she suspected him. her mother wasn't home at the time , so she felt comfortable enough to approach dick. she told him that people were getting hurt and she knew he had something to do with it. she told him that she'd made new friends and they knew everything she did and that it was his responsibility to stop it all from happening. his response was to slap her across her face and tell her that she was a child and children knew nothing. he went to grab her by the shoulder , but she backed away just in time. rather than wait around to argue with him , she ran away from the house and goes to hopper's cabin with everyone else. she's there when eleven / jane finds out that dustin is at starcourt mall , and she tags along with everyone for the final act.

after everything , lizzie goes back home to find that her step father had spun a web of lies for her mother. he claimed that he'd come home and caught her smoking and stealing cash from his desk. he said that she'd attacked him , and when he tried to defend himself he'd ' accidentally ' slapped her , and she ran off saying she would tell everyone that he'd slapped her for no reason. because of this , lizzie was grounded for the entire summer. they could do that because , ' as long as she was under their roof , she was still a child to them '.

because of this , lizzie wrote to her father asking for money to move out of dick's house. she knew her father , even though he was so far away , would believe her and help in any way that he could. two weeks later , josh showed up on their doorstep to help lizzie move out of her parents house. the only thing she was sure she could afford was a trailer in forest hills trailer park.

after the starcourt mall had burned down , the owner of the record store she'd been working in relocated to another building in the same part of town. he'd kept her on as one of the clerk's and so she never had a lapse in her salary. it was hard , but she was able to afford the trailer on her own. it was , however , two bedrooms in case she wanted to let a roommate move in.

lizzie is there to witness eddie's freak out after chrissy's attack , and helps hide him until he can run away. she spends half her time trying to protect eddie and the other half of her time helping everyone find out about chrissy's symptoms and how fred then and max now are experiencing the same thing.

later , lizzie stays with eddie and the others while he attempts to distract the demobats and watches alongside dustin as eddie sacrifices himself for them. she is there to comfort dustin during this and help him get to safety afterward.

lizzie has several homemade tattoos and piercings on her body , in places that are easy to hide from her parents.

lizzie is close with her older brother , despite the differing ways in which they were treated. he never let the better treatment go to his head and on several occasions , he stood up to dick for his sister.

short and sweet verses :

main verse , takes place after the events of season 4. lizzie is working full time at the record store in hawkins. she is also attending classes at the local community college , this is all she can afford now that her mother and step father have cut her off completely.

[bylrndgm]

S3 team and I wrote a full essay on why's that.

I have always had the opinion, overall, in life, that even the shiniest things hide some darkness, and you need to be careful when approaching these things because when it comes to stuff that already looks rotting and bad, it can only get worse, right?

Instead, when you find a shiny thing, it's easy to be blinded by it and refuse to look what's behind it, and finding out the dark side of it can be so dangerous, because you don't expect that.

This applies pretty much to everything, call me cynical if you will.

And it also applies to S3. It's really easy to be distracted by the bright colors of the Starcourt Mall, the humor, and the cheesy and upbeat songs played. S3 embodies, in my opinion, that 80s vibe the most: malls, disco music, and powerful colors.

But behind the curtains, there is a lot going on. Something is shown to us, for instance, the political tensions of the Cold War, and this big flesh monster, along with an old lady eating chemicals. There is something unsettling, that creeps beneath the shiny surface.

And we are aware of it. Just think about:

The secret base is hidden in a mall

Alexei is being murdered while giggling about a stuffed Looney Tunes character he had just won.

Throughout the whole season, there are these juxtapositions of light and dark elements.

But there is something that may be even more unsettling, and it's not the supernatural horror, that is for funsies, but it's the real-life horrors.

Will - He experiences the definitive loss of innocence. He is finally back from the UD and has been possessed once. He's still dealing with the aftermath of it, and he just wants to feel normal again. He wants his childhood back, which had been taken from him. But everyone has moved on.

His friends all have girlfriends, and he's left to think he's never gonna fall in love. He starts figuring out his sexuality and apparently has no one to talk to about it.

Will is left thinking he is different and that vision is confirmed by the fact that all of his male friends are in a straight relationships. He can't turn to his brother, as he's pretty gone too. He's with Nancy now, and his mom? Well, she's dealing with the loss of the only positive paternal figure he's ever had - and he died to save him.

Mike - Mike, who like every other teen is desperately trying to fit in.

Just to find out that in this way he's hurting his best friend. And their fights never really resolve. Unspoken words linger between them, words that have to be locked away because there is a bigger enemy to fight and when it's finally over, his best friend moves out.

Joyce - grieving for the loss of Bob and probably feeling guilty for it and the feelings she starts developing for Hopper. She tries to avoid it all, focusing on other things, like magnets falling off surfaces.

Hopper - who after the death of his daughter is given a second chance to be a parent, but he's feeling a little rusty.

He wants to start again, but all the odds are against him.

***

These are just some examples, you can go on and discuss Nancy's humiliation, Max seeing her stepbrother being killed, Robin coming out to Steve, you name it.

There is so much sorrow in S3 but the audience is distracted by the supernatural happenings and the shiny coat of vibrant colors and nostalgic vibes.

Real-life horror is well hidden, and you get glimpses of that every now and then but you may not realize it straight away, and this leaves you with an eerie feeling that you can't really explain. It's there. S3 touches the more sensitive buttons in people's souls in a very subtle and clever way.

Reblog with your reasoning!

[berry-loves-yandere]

Saccharine pt.2

Yandere Stranger Things characters with an overly sweet darling headcanons:

Characters: Steve Harrington, Nancy Wheeler, Jonathan Byers, Billy Hargrove, Robin Buckley, Eddie Munson

Warnings: stalking, kidnapping, obsessive behaviours, possessive behaviours, unhealthy mindset, unhealthy relationships, delusional characters, manipulation, bullying, drug mention

Steve Harrington:

❤️  He would probably ask his darling out on a date once he notices their sweet attitude

❤️ Even if they don’t end up dating Steve acts as if they are

❤️ Would tell people they’re dating to keep them away from his darling

❤️ He’d always be super nice to his darling as well and do things that friends and couples do

❤️ Would be extremely touchy and clingy

❤️ Over-protective crossing into possessive behaviour

❤️ Since his darling is kind to everyone, including people who are rude to them or hurt them, Steve envisions himself as a knight in shining armour saving his darling

❤️ If his darling is uncomfortable around Steve, they’re so nice that they’d never bring it forward to anyone and Steve takes advantage of that

❤️ In his desperation to protect his darling, he would probably kidnap them

❤️ Even after kidnapping his darling, he would never be cruel to them and shower them with love and affection

Nancy Wheeler:

📝  Would become good friends with her darling due to her enjoying their kind nature

📝 After her break up with Steve and all of the crazy stuff happening in Hawkins that she’s involved in, she’d probably find comfort in her sweet and caring darling who has a normal life

📝 (If darling was male) She would only date Jonathan if her darling was dating someone else at the time

📝 (If darling is female or other) She would date Jonathan because dating her darling wouldn’t be socially acceptable

📝 When she dates Jonathan, all she can imagine is her darling and how her darling would act on dates 

📝 Would sometimes slip up and almost call Jonathan by her darling’s name

📝 After the July 4th incident, she would check to see if her darling was one of the people who got added to the Mind Flayer’s physical form

📝 Once the Byers + Eleven move to Lenora, Nancy becomes a bit more clingy with her darling

📝 She would likely begin to try to manipulate her darling into having feelings for her

📝 After the events of season 4, she makes sure her darling isn’t injured in any way, shape or form

📝 When Jonathan returns, she pretends to be happy but is actually pissed off since he would be slowing or stopping her plans to finally confess to her darling

Jonathan Byers:

📸  First meeting would most likely be his darling felt bad seeing Jonathan by himself all the time and assigned themselves to be his friend

📸 His darling would offer to help put up posters for Will when he went missing which definitely warmed Jonathan’s heart

📸  During the entire duration of Will’s disappearance and death, Jonathan’s darling would probably be similar to an emotional support animal for him

📸  Eventually when Jonathan and Nancy start dating, he isn’t yet sure of his feelings for his darling but they’re solidified when he sees his darling kissing someone who isn’t him

📸 Throughout his relationship with Nancy, he would picture his darling in her place 

📸 He’d stalk and take pictures of his darling without them knowing

📸 If they had a movie night and his darling fell asleep, he would sneak off to grab his camera and start taking pictures of their sleeping body

📸 When he moves to Lenora with his family, he would call his darling every day

📸 Would beg  request his darling to fly over to Lenora to visit him during summer vacation or winter break or spring break, knowing that his darling is too nice to decline

📸 If he’s ever stoned around his darling, he’d accidentally confessed his true feelings for them which causes some tension that Jonathan ignores 

📸 Even if his darling is uncomfortable around Jonathan, they’re so nice that they’d never bring it forward to anyone and Jonathan takes advantage of that

Billy Hargrove:

🚬 Definitely irritated by their sweet nature at first since they’d always be doing things like helping people with homework or handing out cookies and Billy takes that as sympathy, which he despises

🚬 If his darling begins giving him more attention than others, he’ll be pissed since he’ll think that his darling considers him weak

🚬 Would probably bully his darling for a while until their sweet personality grows on him

🚬 He’d then have others beat up his darling and he’d pretend to be a knight in shining armour then help patch them up afterwards

🚬 He has love-hate feelings for his darling since he despises sympathy but adores his darling’s care

🚬  After fights with his father, he’d probably go to his darling, wanting to be patched up, which his darling would do without hesitation 

🚬 After a while, he’d love their kindness and crave their affection

🚬 But Billy would also be very jealous since his darling shows kindness to everyone, including people he deems unworthy of it

🚬 Billy would totally kidnap his darling using chloroform when his jealousy reacts it’s peak level

🚬 He would try not to be like his father but might actually hurt his darling during a fit of rage

Robin Buckley:

🎺 Robin would instantly be head over heels for a super sweet darling

🎺 Her darling would definitely listen as Robin would ramble about different subjects, which Robin adores

🎺 They’re probably in band together and Robin’s darling would visit Robin at Scoops Ahoy

🎺 Robin also listens intently to everything her darling would say

🎺 She probably has Steve try to help her figure out if her darling is sapphic or not

🎺 After the whole July 4th incident and Robin and Steve getting new jobs at Family Video, Robin and her darling’s friendship improves since they can spend more time together without Robin having to go somewhere to attend to a customer

🎺 Would accidentally confess her feelings to her darling in a ramble

Eddie Munson:

🎸 Very shocked at first since everyone considers him and his friends ‘freaks’

🎸 Would adore the kind attention they give him and even though he would never admit it, it’s extremely obvious

🎸 He would melt at their compliments about his guitar skills or the campaign he’s writing

🎸 He’d be super clingy and try to always have his darling around him

🎸 Eddie would love having his darling listen to him as he rambles about Metallica or other metal bands

🎸 Eddie would have his darling watch his band ‘Corroded Coffin’ practice since he knew they’d give supportive and sweet feedback

🎸 Would give his darling a ticket to every gig that Corroded Coffin has

🎸 He would do things that could be considered platonic or romantic, like wrapping an arm around his darling’s shoulders or holding their hand

🎸 If he did get really jealous, he’d probably drug and kidnap his darling

[avrilsky]

Robin and Steve getting an apartment together (cause those motherfuckers are codependent and are also platonic soulmates). It's one of the few places they can be themselves. A tiny two bedroom apartment with clashing decorations and mismatched furniture, a little kitchen with one too many coffee mugs and too few spoons, a fridge filled with more bottles of beer than actual food but they love it all the save because it's Theirs.

The kids are there more often than not, filling the small space with laughter and the sound of dice rolling along a wooden table. Their couch is a bed most nights for one kid or another trying to escape their parents or the thoughts in their head. 

Max stays over the most, usually on nights her mom is so drunk she barely remembers her own name, let alone Max's. Some nights it's just because Max had fallen asleep during movie night and neither Robin nor Steve had the heart to wake her, they'd just tuck her in with a blanket from the back of the couch and leave the light on in the kitchen for her. Robin cooks her breakfast in the morning and Steve makes sure she makes it to school on time. They barely see themselves as functioning adults, they have no idea how to take care of a teenager, but they try their best, try to give the care they wished their parents had shown them to Max, to all the kids really. And they aren't really sure they're doing a good job but it's more than enough for Max.

Nancy claims the lone armchair and the coffee mug stolen from the diner in town as her own. She keeps a yellow legal pad and her favorite pen under the coffee table for when she's over and working on a story for the newspaper (Robin doesn't allow any of the kids to use it for d&d). Nancy makes sure Robin and Steve eat more than pizza and frozen TV dinners. She buys them fresh fruit and veggies, and teaches Steve how to put together a simple salad. Even before she and Robin officially start dating whenever Nancy stays over, she and Robin share Robin's bed, always starting off on opposite sides of the bed only to be wrapped up together by morning, blushing bright red as they separate themselves. They share their first kiss in the tiny kitchen, the taste of beer and popcorn on their lips, Nancy gripping the collar of Robin's denim jacket and pulling her in. 

Will finds them like that, smiling into a kiss that's more teeth than anything else. In her shock, Robin shoves away from the counter, away from Nancy, slamming her back into the fridge with a mumbled fuck. They expect to find him staring at them with disgust, with barely concealed hatred but instead he looks relieved, like the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders. He steps forward looking taller than Nancy ever remembered him being, looks at both of them and smiles. "I thought I was the only one who was different." Nancy pulls him into a hug and Robin grins at her over his shoulder.

Eddie usually lounges on the floor in front of the tv with Dustin during movie nights. He leaves one of his old guitars there and plays everyone a song or two when they are just sitting around drinking beers. When he spends the night, he sleeps in Steve's bed while Steve camps out on his bedroom floor, silently cursing himself for not working up the courage to slide into bed next to Eddie, for not taking his hand when their fingers brushed as Steve handed over a pair of sleep shorts. 

Steve and Robin take care of one another when one of them is having a bad day. A warm blanket straight from the dryer draped over slouched shoulders, whatever movie is their comfort flick at the time popped into the vcr. Robin makes Steve a pot of homemade chicken noodle soup, the only thing her mom taught her to make and it somehow becomes Steve's comfort meal. Steve makes Robin a slightly burnt grilled cheese, poking Robin in the ribs when she teases him about it being burnt even though she secretly liked those little burnt bits. They spend the day like that, watching movies or talking their feelings out.

More than once Nancy let herself into the apartment with the key Steve had given her to find her girlfriend and her ex cuddled together on the couch, sleeping peacefully, Steve tucked under Robin's arm. And it used to make her jealous back when she still thought Robin and Steve were together, back when she wanted nothing more than to be the one Robin held like that. Now though the sight made her heart soar as she smiled softly down at them, happy they had each other. 

Just the potential of Steve and Robin sharing an apartment together.

[loveronlineee]

Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2 spoilers.

At first it was denial.

I saw the signs. I saw how he said Never change Dustin Henderson. I saw him say again and again that he’s no hero. I saw him go back to give the others more time. I watched as he lay so close to gone with Dustin holding him and I still didn’t believe it.

Then it was shock.

How the time skip happened and everyone was safely back, out of the upside down. No mention of Eddie from anyone, until Dustin.

Then it changed again, going back and forth between heart wrenching mourning and white hot anger.

I am upset. The kind of upset where your feelings overcome your body and you can’t even stand, your knees giving in beneath you. Crying on the floor. Watching the tears fall onto the ground, inches from your face.

I am upset. The kind of upset where you can’t even hold back the fury. Where nothing will calm you down and you’re shaking and tense, and you just have to feel that feeling with every fibre of your being until it turns back into tears.

I convinced myself that Eddie wasn’t going to die. I read posts saying that Eddie and Jonathan were gonna have scenes next season, they put forward the point that Why would there be so much promotion for a character that wouldn’t even be in the next season?

I couldn’t even enjoy the rest of the episode after that. I couldn’t be excited about Robin and Vickie. I didn’t feel anything when Hopper and Joyce reunited with their kids. I didn’t care that Hawkins was in trouble. Nothing else mattered after that. I felt numb.

Thank you Joe Quinn. For bringing alive a character that I love more than any other I ever have. No other is even close. And fuck you Duffer brothers for absolutely ruining him.

I’m only half serious, because I understand that when you make something and people love it, you’re terrified that one day you’ll fuck it up and all those supporters will turn on you. I know that the Duffers originally didn’t want Eddie to be that likeable, since they planned on killing him. But they didn’t change what they planned even after casting Joe.

And I think what makes me the most angry is that his death wasn’t even a good death.

No one mourned for him. There was no funeral. We don’t even know that much about what happened after. We can assume that they just left his body there, to rot in the upside down. Alone. Forever.

He never got to meet Will. He would have loved him. He would have taken him under his wing and protected him and become a second older brother. He never got to meet El and see her awesome powers in action. He never got to meet Hopper, or Joyce, or Murray or Argyle or Holly or any of the parents or anyone else.

I wanted to see him become part of the group. I wanted to see him interact with the others. What would Hopper have said after taking one look at him? It would’ve made me laugh whatever it would’ve been. I wonder what Eddie would’ve thought of Dustin’s girlfriend Suzie. Did he even know that this girl with superpowers was Mike’s girlfriend???

His name was never redeemed. Everyone still hates him. He never graduated. And no, he didn’t die a hero. His death wasn’t an epic sacrifice like Billy’s was. He died even though the exact same thing happened to Steve and he survived.

His death didn’t feel like it meant anything.

And it should’ve

It could’ve.

If Eddie died it could’ve been him protecting Steve, Nancy and Robin. He reaches the house, saves them but ultimately doesn’t make it. Maybe he makes such a ruckus that Vecna has to find him and kill him himself, giving El and Max more time to save themselves.

If they were planning on it, it could’ve been so. Much. Better.

Duffer brothers you made me fall in love with a show and continue to love it for 6 years. And you ruined it in just under 4 hours.

But even after everything, I still love this show. And I will not stop writing. Eddie Munson you stole my heart and I have no regrets about that.

And I will share this love with every person who reads my work and interacts with my blog who loves him too.

I’ll write Eddie the story he deserves.

Eddie I love you. You freak.

- Willow.

[officialaemondtargaryen]

Age Of Consent [part nine]

Summary: Dustin’s older sister thinks Eddie Munson could be a bad influence on her younger brother due to their history. Can he change her mind?

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Henderson!Reader

Word Count: 1,708

What you’ll find in this series: big angst, wholesome fluff, sexual content, drug use, tobacco use, alcohol use, and a lot of profanity. This is a slow burn- buckle up, buttercup.

A/N: Internal screaming for y'all to read this one.

Read Part Eight

It had been three weeks.

For the most part, your life had seemingly fallen back into place.

One of the girls from work was on maternity leave, so you were picking up all of her shifts to make some extra cash and keep yourself busy. It had helped somewhat in keeping Eddie off of your mind. It took Dustin a few days, but he eventually got the memo that under no circumstance did you even want to hear the name Eddie Munson ever again.

You had been hanging out with Robin and Steve more often, which was nice. The best part was that, with them, you didn't even need to remind them to not ask about it- they just knew. Despite the fact that you weren't big on having company other than yourself, you really had begun looking forward to movie night with them, and sometimes after work you would all grab pizza from Antonio's.

"Y/N!" You heard your boss call from behind the counter. "Phone call on line one!"

You furrowed your brows and sat down your price gun before heading over to the cash registers.

"Hello?" You asked, answering the phone.

"Do you think you could give me and Mike a ride home tonight?"

"Dustin," you replied flatly. It was Thursday, the typical day for a certain after-school activity. "I know what you're doing, I'm not stupid."

"I'm not doing anything, Y/N," he replied. "Mom has bingo tonight, Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler are taking Holly to the movies, we asked Steve but he's working, and Nancy said no. We've asked everyone, come on, please!"

"Okay, I'll come and pick you dweebs up. But, listen to me very clearly, Dustin, I don't care what your precious little Dungeon Master says, you are in my car by 8:00 PM or I will dethrone him, do you understand me?"

"Yep, totally understand, thanks sis!"

You heard the phone click and rolled your eyes before placing the phone back on the hook. You sighed, knowing that you should just make them walk or bike home, but it was cold and it had been raining all day. Your mother would never forgive you if precious Dustin got sick because you forced him to find his own way home in the rain.

By the time you got home, your mother was already gone to bingo. There was a note on the refrigerator reminding you that there were leftovers and that she would be home by 9:00. You pulled the cold dish of lasagna out of the fridge and cut yourself a small piece before placing it into the microwave. It was only a few minutes past 5:00, which meant you had a few hours to kill.

Around 8:00, you went ahead and left for the school, just in case the club had conceded earlier than normal- you didn't want to leave those little shits out in the rain without a ride. Parked under a street lamp in the parking lot of Hawkins High, you waited, getting through a few chapters of your novel.

When the clock hit nine, you closed your book and tossed it up on the dashboard. You craned your neck to look over at the double doors, fingers impatiently tapping on the steering wheel as you did not see any nerdy kids exiting the building.

"Five more minutes," you whispered to yourself wanting to be fair.

But five minutes came and went, then ten, then twenty.

You threw open the car door and slammed it shut behind you; annoyed, pissed, and ready to cause a fucking scene. You rounded the corners of the hallways, damp shoes squeaking with each step you took towards that God-forsaken classroom.

"Alright you fuckin' losers, let's go." You came through the door only to be met with silence. The room was empty, save for Eddie who was sitting on top of the table where he usually had the game set up. "Where's Dustin and Mike?"

"They got a ride with Lucas after school," he replied as he slid off of the table. You scoffed. Another set-up. "Look, can we please- just talk to me, hear me out."

"I don't want to talk to you, Eddie." You inhaled a sharp breath and exhaled slow. "I want to get over you."

"I was studying," was his reply.

"What?"

"I was studying," he repeated. "That day in the woods with Kelly. I was out there studying to get some peace and quiet. And yes, she wanted some pot for a party she was having, but I stopped bringing it with me." He was closing the gap between you. "I'm doing everything that I can to get out of here so that you and I-" he took your hands and placed them on his chest. "All I care about is being with you and not fucking it up again."

"Eddie," you said sternly as you pulled your hands back. "I don't care what you were doing. I knew this was a bad idea and I'm done playing this game. I just want to move on from this, okay?"

You turned and began to head out of the classroom but Eddie's voice stopped you. "But you can't move on, can you?"

No. Fuck.

You didn't answer, just stood there for a moment with your back to him before you had the courage to take a step out of the classroom. You didn't turn back to look at him, didn't say anything else, just left. Once again. Just like the first time you had seen him again after two years. And just like then, you should have never been here. If you had only listened to yourself the first time.

It was starting to rain again when you got to the parking lot. It wasn't pouring, but it was drizzling and your breath could be seen in the air. It was dark, the two dim street lamps didn't provide much light as you hurried to your car to not catch pneumonia.

"Hey!" You heard from behind you, the doors to the school slamming open. You stopped, just then reaching your car, and turned around, ready for another argument. "You know, the last few times that we were in this situation I just let you walk away, and last time I stood there in that fucking room and I told myself that I should go after you, and I didn't. I tell myself every time and every time I end up regretting it."

"Eddie, what are you-"

"I knew you were going to try-" He pointed a finger in your direction as he continued to stomp towards you. "I knew you were going to try and walk away. And why? It's because you expect me to just let you, isn't it?" He was closing in quickly and before you realized what was happening he was standing directly in front of you- hands on either side of your face. "Yeah, that's not happening this time."

He kissed you with all of the regrets that he had been holding in for two years. You could feel his heart like a hammer in his chest as he pulled you into him. Your lips and tongue moved in tandem, dancing with a partner they could never forget. No matter how hard you tried, there was no escaping that you loved him. You had always been in love with him.

Breathless, you pulled away; looking up at him with his doe eyes- hair damp from the drizzling rain, the water droplets illuminated in the light like a goddamn halo.

"I didn't come after you at graduation because I didn't deserve you," he said quietly. You went to speak but he continued. "No, I know I didn't. It's a goddamn fact. I was selfish. I pushed you away. But now? Fuck, if I wouldn't do anything for you. I mean, you say 'jump', and I'm- I'm nosediving off that goddamn cliff."

"And I meant what I said about counting the fucking days- every day- for two years. You were burned in my goddamn head. Everywhere I looked, you were there; sitting in the library, the hallway between classes, waiting for me at the picnic table outside of the fucking trailer." He stopped and pinched the bridge of his nose with a heavy sigh. "But you weren't there, you were just-" he tapped the side of his head. "In here."

"Now you- you gave me a chance to show you that I was different- that I wasn't the same, stupid kid." He said. "And I know I succeeded. You want to know how I know?" You raised an eyebrow. "Because you ran. You ran, and you did it because you're scared. You're so fucking scared of love. Well, guess what, sweetheart? So is everyone else! I'm standing here, scared shitless and still confessing my fucking love for you like some goddamn idiot."

"Eddie?"

"Yeah?" He said as he geared up for the disappointment.

"You're right."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You're right," you said once again a little louder this time. "I love you."

"Hold on," a smile crept to his lips as he cupped his hand behind his ear. "Can you say that one more time, I'm hard of hearing- all those years playing in a metal band, you know." He joked.

"Eddie Munson," you announced loudly. "You are right and I fucking love you!"

"Oh, I knew that!" He was grinning ear to ear. "Did you guys know that?" He jokingly looked around at the empty parking lot. "Everyone knew that, babe."

You gave him a light shove, but he pulled you back into him just as quick; his lips enveloping yours once more.

"Just say it one more time," He asked softly.

"I love you."

"Oh," his lips mumbled against yours. "I don't mean to keep bringing up the past, but I'm pretty sure the last time I saw you, you said you were coming to visit your boyfriend for lunch." His smile was uncontainable.

"Yes," you rolled your eyes. "That is what I said, please don't make me regret it."

"Not a chance in the world, sweetheart." He replied with a sweet kiss. "You're mine for good now."

Tags (closed):

@fangirling-4-ever, @nojamsonmytoast, @munson-burner, @slvdsjjk, @kiszkawagnerwhore, @bitterplacebrokendreamsmaegan, @katxn15, @itswormtrain, @itsallnonsens3, @aashy723, @buginktsworld, @in-this-minute, @peachyxholic, @colbychu, @bilbobag9ins, @cat-mak20, @bumpbeaded, @liv4193, @thisisntmyrightera, @chloepart03, @creativedogs, @simp4fictional, @serrendiipty, @equuleus86, @morganasimp26, @evewithluv, @1980shorrorfillm, @you-makeme-crazier, @icareabouteverythxng, @cyberneticfallout, @eddiemattress, @bethii1, @immybx, @sortafictional, @bbyharlow, @persona-lreference, @michaelfuckinglangdon, @cvmtitss, @1800-fight-me, @brain-of-nekoma, @eddiesgoodgirl, @eddie-swhore, @16bruises

[nihilnat]

Your favorite song

[chapter I] [chapter II] [chapter III] [chapter IV]

Summary: When Vecna’s curse affects you, someone who doesn’t consider himself as a hero outside of D&D comes to save you with his amazing guitar skills, playing your favorite song to save you from it.

Author’s Note: Heavily follows the plot and contains spoilers! If you haven’t watched S4 I wouldn’t recommend reading this fic. Maybe you could save it for later? The summary is for the entire series, not only for this chapter. I highly recommend you to check out the previous chapters! I try to follow the plot as strictly as possible but there are certain changes. Hope you enjoy it. There isn't any volume 2 spoilers.

Word Count: 3.5k

What to Expect: Reader x Eddie Munson, a nightmare about Eddie, takes place during the 'Dear Billy' episode with some changes... read to find out more!

Spoilers below cut, you have been warned!

After Max found out that she was going to die tomorrow, she couldn't sleep. Instead, all she ever wanted was to write letters to the ones she cared for the most. Or to the ones she wanted to say something for the last time. She knew that she didn't have much time left so she wanted to leave others something that they could cherish after she was gone.

While Nancy and Robin were choosing their ‘academic looks’ for tomorrow upstairs, you helped them pick some of the pieces they were going to wear. As much as you wanted to stay right beside Max, she was too busy with her letters and didn’t want to talk to anyone. And as a result of that, you were now listening to Steve whining about always being the goddamn babysitter. 

‘Nancy, does Robin look like an academic scholar to you?’ He asked while looking at Nancy, moving his eyebrows up and furrowing them, asking the question seriously.

Then immediately, you heard Robin saying ‘Oh my god it has a little ballerina in it!’ while holding a small music box, showing it to you and the others. 

‘Robin it’s not the best time-’ you quickly whispered. You were sitting on Nancy’s bed so you were close to Robin. She heard you and quickly but clumsily, she closed the cute little box and put it where it belonged. 

Steve was looking in Robin's direction and he rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed at how Robin always ended up partnering with Nancy when he could’ve spent that time with her. He turned to Nancy once more to check if she was sure of the decision she made... She was.

‘Maybe not right now but when she wears this, she will be.’ Nancy smiled and turned to the rest of you. She was holding a preppy, pastel colored flared top and a long skirt. She also had some jewelry for Robin which fitted with the whole vibe of that look. Robin looked at Nancy in disbelief and tried to protest her but she also knew she didn’t have another choice.

After deciding Nancy’s look too, you all kicked Steve out of the room. ‘Oh so you guys are gonna change now? Well I uh, I can turn around and wait.’

‘Steve… leave this to us girls, okay?’

‘Oh okay… Well, I’ll just go and check up on the others.’

‘Let me know if you guys need anything.’ He said as he walked out of the room. Robin got up from the bed and followed Steve to close the door behind him. She was saying ‘Yeah yeah we will, just go now.’

As she was closing the door, Steve turned to his back and tried to stop Robin, his hands on the door. ‘You know I can use my charm Nancy!’ He yelled.

‘STEVE DO US A FAVOR AND GO BABYSIT THE GODDAMN KIDS!’ Robin shouted as she closed the door shut to Steve’s face. 

You looked at Robin and saw the amusement in her eyes. She was trying to hold back her laughter because Steve was desperately trying to be close to Nancy. You also tried not to laugh and you guys were now having a kind of staring contest to see who would break out laughing first. 

But neither of you lasted another second as you started to give up and laugh loudly. While you guys were busy having fun, you noticed that Nancy was giggling, she had a little smirk on her face. She was trying to hide it but she wasn’t very good at it.

All of you stayed at the Wheelers’ house that night.

                                         ****

After Nancy and Ms Wheeler made sure everyone had a blanket and a pillow, Ms Wheeler said good night to everybody and got out of the living room in order to go to her bedroom.

When Nancy heard the cracks coming from the stairs, she understood that her mother was far away from them. Without wasting another second, she turned to Steve, Lucas and Dustin and told them that they had to keep an eye out for Max. 

Anything could’ve happened to her in a matter of seconds and none of you wanted that. So in order to prevent it or at least discover it before it's too late, Nancy thought of watching over her. 

Even though you didn’t know how to protect her from an invisible murderer-monster, you knew she would feel safer with other people around her.

And it was up to the guys to watch over her. You normally would’ve stayed with them but Nancy invited you to her bedroom and you couldn’t turn down a more comfortable sleeping environment. Robin was going to sleep in Nancy’s room too. 

Everyone said good night and the three of you headed upstairs. After a little walk down the hallway, you reached the bedroom and got settled, getting ready to sleep. Just after you, Nancy and Robin sat down on Nancy’s bed and they started to go over their plan for tomorrow one last time, before sleeping.

They were trying to keep it quiet but Robin wasn’t really good at whispering. You didn’t mind it though. After the visions and the horrible nightmares you had for the past couple of days, you didn’t want to be alone in the dark. So needless to say, you were happy about the company.

                                         *****

And after you had a much needed quality sleep, tomorrow came.

You woke up feeling the tingling and warm sensation of sun rays on your face. It was early in the morning; the sun was shining and the birds were chiming. It seemed like it ought to be a good day. At least, you hoped that way but life had other plans for all of you.

While you were still under your blanket, yawning and trying to get rid of the foggines that was covering your brain due to just waking up, you heard Nancy rushing out the door. 

She went downstairs and walked to the living room quickly to check on Max and the others. You stood up and went to the bathroom to wash your face. A few minutes passed and you heard Robin calling your name for you to come to the living room.

You rapidly went downstairs and joined the others. Everyone was packing their things and were ready to go. Nancy and Robin were going to the asylum as planned and Max wanted to drop off some of her letters to her house so Steve was going to drive the kids there. 

And while the others were busy with all of that, you were going to go to the supermarket to grab Eddie some snacks… and maybe a 6 pack. They promised to go back to the shack and check him in the evening if everything worked out perfectly. So you had to be prepared in case you got to see him.  

                                         ****

After shopping, you wanted to reach out to Eddie and tell him that you got him the six pack he desperately wanted. Though unfortunately, Steve and Nancy got the walkie talkies and you didn’t have another option other than Dustin’s setup if you wanted to talk to Eddie. So, you went to Dustin’s house to try out your luck. 

With a paper bag full of snacks and beer cans, you knocked on the Hendersons' door. A few seconds passed and you knocked again. Hearing nothing but a distant car engine noise, you started to grow impatient. You knocked one more time and yelled,

‘Ms Henderson, are you at home? 

‘HELLO? Anybody?’

It was clear that she wasn’t at home. But you didn’t give up, you weren’t planning on it. So, you wandered around the house and found Dustin’s bedroom window. You needed something to step on in order to reach the window and get inside. Luckily, there was a mini ladder in the backyard of their neighbor.

You swiftly skimmed around and saw that no one was nearby; Hendersons’ neighbors must’ve been at work and there was no one in plain sight. 

Then, with the adrenaline rushing, you quickly moved over to their garden and grabbed the little white wooden ladder, placed it underneath the window and climbed up.

When you grabbed the hems of the window, you put all the pressure on your hands and jumped inside, landing on the floor. When your body met the floor, there was a big noise. A noise big enough to alert Dustin’s cat. You quickly stood up.

You’ve been at Dustin’s house dozens of times by now and you tried to pet Tews in every chance you got. A year or two ago, their first cat Mews died and in order to open their house to a new cat and try to fill the emotional gap, they adopted the cute little Tews.

‘Hey baby.’ You whispered gently and Tews came closer to you, rubbing himself onto your legs. You quickly crouched and started to pet him. Hearing the lovely purrs he makes made your heart melt. 

You continued to pet him a little longer and as far as you could tell, Tews was very happy with his current situation. As much as you wanted to spend more time with him, you had to speak to Eddie. 

It’s been a long time since you two last talked and you desperately wanted to hear him. Hear him saying that he was safe and happy. 

You didn’t know all of Dustin’s ham radio setup but luckily you knew the basics. He has taught you about it when you asked what it was the first time you were in his house. 

You weren’t actually curious about how it worked but when he started to tell you all the details about it, you knew you had to listen to him because he was so happy to teach it to somebody. You couldn’t stop him after you saw the excitement in his eyes.

And this one time in Family Video Parlor, while he was telling about his day to Steve, he mentioned that he taught you about his radio.

‘See, (Y/N) is way cooler than you, Steve. You never wanted to learn about it!’

‘Woah woah woah woah… Henderson?’ He looked hurt, placing a hand over his heart as if he had been stabbed. 

‘Don’t sound so surprised Steve, he’s right. She is definitely cooler than you.’ Added Robin.

You chuckled at the sight in front of you; Steve was furrowing his eyebrows and his mouth was agape, looking confused and a little sad. He was definitely putting on a show. 

In the meantime, Dustin was looking directly in his eyes, challenging him and smiling brightly than ever. These little moments brought joy to your life.

                                        ****

After setting the radio and controlling all the buttons, you braced yourself and touched the voice button. 

‘Munson, can you hear me?’

No sound. 

‘If you can hear me, please say something Munson. This should be working.’

Still no answer.

You tried again.

‘Eddie, please answer me… EDDIE!’

After yelling, you heard nothing but Tews’ little meow. You couldn’t comprehend what was going on. You did everything like Dustin has shown you. You checked all the buttons again, fearing the worst;

What if Eddie got caught? What if the police found him? Or worse, what if Jason and the others found him? You didn’t want to let the bad thoughts consume you but it was late. You were already scared.

You felt your vision getting blurry as your eyes began to water up. You looked around the room in an attempt to clear your head but suddenly, there was this painful ache in your heart, your throat burning. 

You didn’t know what to do. For a few seconds, you blankly stared at the wall in front of you, trying to come up with an idea. Then you thought of communicating with the others so that you guys could make a plan and go see him sooner.  

You were trying to change the station in order to reach out to Dustin’s walkie talkie. You did the last adjustments and you were ready to go. 

‘Dustin? Dustin please tell me you copy.’

‘(Y/N)? How?’

‘I uh, broke into your house but that's not important right now.’ 

You tried to ignore the lump in your throat and continued: ‘I can’t reach out to Eddie and I’m worried, like really worried.’ 

‘...Are you sure you checked all the buttons? Maybe you made a mistake-’

You knitted your eyebrows as you felt a couple of tears streaming down your cheek and tried your hardest not to break into tears. 

‘Dustin look. I controlled them over and over again. I didn’t make a mistake. We have to go to the shack as soon as possible, I need to know if he’s alright.’ 

‘Maybe he is busy with something (Y/N). We’re here at the graveyard right now, Max is sitting in front of Billy’s gravestone, reading her letter to him.’

‘Once she finishes, we’ll come pick you up and go to the shack okay? I promise. But us coming to you, it could take a while.’

‘Dustin please, you don’t understand. We have to check up on him as soon as we can. We could be too late.’

For a while, Dustin didn’t give you an answer and you didn’t hear anything from them. Not even a single noise. 

‘Dustin?...DUSTIN.’

You heard a distant voice, you figured that it belonged to Lucas. ‘DUSTIN SHE’S FLOATING! ...FLOATING!!’

‘...Oh sHIT SHIT SHIT!’ Dustin exclaimed. His voice was higher than usual, meaning he was really scared.

‘WHAT DO YOU MEAN FLOATING? DUSTIN WHA-’

‘(Y/N) GOTTA GO TALK TO YA LATER.’

                                           ****

After talking to Dustin, you had so many questions but you didn’t have anything to do. Your hands were tied and this waiting was going to drive you nuts. 

Hoping that Nancy and Robin found a way to beat Vecna, you laid down on Dustin’s bed and drifted off to a small nap without realizing. Turns out, after all that mental exhaustion you desperately needed a rest. 

Even though your nap was small, the dream you saw had a long lasting effect on you even after you woke up. 

In your dream, you were in the same exact position, laying down on Dustin’s bed in their house, Tews snuggling up to you. For a second, you looked so peaceful.

But this moment didn’t stay for long. After a few seconds, you woke up to a gunshot sound that had just flared. The noise came from somewhere close, as if it happened in the backyard of Hendersons’. 

You quickly but carefully stood up, trying not to wake the cat up. First, you looked outside from the living room window but you couldn’t quite tell who those people were at first glance. But there were two people, one on the ground who was fighting for his life and the other was holding the gun towards him. 

You rapidly made your way to the backyard door and opened it. When the guy with the gun heard the noise, he started to run, escaping the backyard. 

You yelled at the guy for him to turn back, so that you could understand who it was. But when the sleepiness wore down, you understood everything perfectly. It was Jason.

So, that meant that the person who was shot would be… Eddie. You quickly turned your gaze towards the guy on the floor. And it was him. Gasping for air, his torso covered in blood, a single tear streaming down his left cheek.

You ran to him, almost throwing yourself at the ground beside him. Your hands immediately cupped his face and his gaze turned towards you, leaning into your touch.

‘(Y/N)?’ He looked deeply in your eyes and forced a smile. It was obvious that he was in pain. You tried to keep your composure for a little bit, trying to look brave for him.

‘Eddie, Eddie you’re going to be okay. I promise baby, I promise everything is going to be alright.’

You dropped your hands and looked around for Dustin, Steve… For anyone. But unfortunately, there was no one. It was only you and him.

‘I’m sorry. Sorry for puttin’ you through hell. You didn’t deserve it.’ He hardly said while gritting his teeth. Your heart broke at his words.

‘No Eddie, none of it is your fault. This is not goodbye, you hear me? We’ll get you to the hospital and-.’

‘I love you (Y/N).’ he whispered.

And a tear fell down your cheek. He already accepted his fate and now it was your turn to accept the hard reality.

‘I love you too Eddie.’

                                          ****

You woke up in cold sweat as you heard Steve’s car roll in. You couldn’t comprehend where you were for a long minute or two. That was one of the worst nightmares you ever had in your entire life. Seeing someone you truly love die in your arms…

You heard the lock of the main door opening and Dustin yelling ‘(Y/N)! We have so much to tell you!’ If it wasn’t for Dustin, it would’ve taken you much longer to grasp the reality. It was just a nightmare, you thought to yourself. None of it was real. 

‘D-Dustin! I’m here with Tews.’ you exclaimed and they followed the sound of your voice. 

When Steve, Lucas, Dustin and Max came to the room, Lucas said, ‘You won’t believe what happened…’ and they all turned to Max. She looked distressed, tired and she had her headphones on, listening to Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush. 

While all of the gaze was turned towards her, she was trying to avoid eye contact, her arms were crossed. But eventually, she started to tell you about what just happened to her minutes ago and the others joined her, telling the story from their point of view. 

                                          ****

After learning all the stuff about Max escaping Vecna with the help of her favorite song, you felt a certain comfort. If something were to happen to you, at least you knew what to do; You had to listen to your favorite song and stick to your happiest memories. When you thought back of all of the happy memories you had, there was always a certain person popping up in all of them: That person was none other than Eddie Munson.  

You were still debating on whether to tell the others about your symptoms or not when all of you heard a knock on the door. It was Nancy and Robin. When they saw Max safe and sound, they felt a wave of relief washing all over them. 

After everybody catched up on the latest news in a detailed manner, you finally filled everyone in about Eddie. How you couldn’t reach out to him and that it has been a couple of days since you guys last saw him… That you missed him and that you were worried about him. And finally, they all agreed to go to the shack to look out for him. 

                                          ****

A long car ride after, you were finally at the shack. But there was a problem: Police cars were everywhere. Your breathing started to fasten at the sight that was being displayed right in front of you. You all momentarily froze, trying to understand what was happening. 

Steve was the first one to get out of the car and seconds after, he was followed by you. As soon as you got out of the car, you saw Jason, all wet and wrapped up in a blanket. He was talking with one of the police chiefs. 

You instantly turned to Steve, only to find out that he was looking at you with worry in his eyes. You returned him the same look and your eyes went back to Jason. Still talking with the chief, he felt your eyes on him and fixed his gaze towards you. You’ve never been fond of him -although he didn’t know that- and all this ‘hunting’ thing and the nightmare you just saw, were not helping the situation.

After locking eyes with him, you politely flashed him a little smile. He didn’t know you were close with Eddie and you thought that you could use that to your advantage. Talking to him could’ve helped you understand where Eddie was. You quickly returned your gaze towards Steve and mouthed ‘Go and leave him to me.’

He said ‘No I can’t leave you with this guy.’ 

You quickly moved to Steve’s side and whispered to him so no one else could hear you: ‘He shouldn’t see Dustin and Lucas. Don’t you remember what Lucas said?’

‘...What about you?’

‘He doesn’t know I’m close to Eddie and I have a plan. Don’t worry, just drive somewhere safe and be alert in case he calls.’

‘On it.’ He turned to the car and opened the door, putting one foot in.

‘Oh and Steve?’ He turned to you.

‘Yeah?’

‘Come pick me up 15 minutes later.’

****

Thank you so much for reading chapter four of the series!

If you like this part, let me know by liking, reblogging or even leaving a comment. All of it is appreciated. Also If you’d like to be added to the taglist, let me know.

(Sorry that it took me so long to publish this chapter. All I have to say for myself is: Fuck you Duffer Brothers. Certain someone is still alive and well. Also I plan on keeping this series longer than I planned. Let me know your thoughts!)

 Stay in tune for the next chapter <3 

taglist:

@theold-ultraviolence

@eyesfullofstars311

@unatempesta-dipensieri

@nobody-000

@silky-luxe

@fuckthisandrock

@studysimsx

@your-momahoe316

@dan-the-space-man

@mosf13

@httpjiikook

@shinydixon

@sadenchiladas

@liv0679

@jungwoo-siwa

@jaazzsblog

@m-i-1-0

@plk-18

@eddies-gf

[jstarswrites]

A New Adventure

So, here is the promised fic! As stated, it's an Eddie Munson x Henderson!Sister fix it fic, because we're all mad about how season 4 ended. I hope you enjoy it, and remember likes and reblogs are greatly appreciated!

The Outcasts Masterlist

You were out by your car, smoking a cigarette and playing Motley Crue’s shout at the devil at top volume. Your hands drummed against the steering wheel in time to the beat laid down by Tommy Lee. To everyone else, you probably looked like a maniac, jamming out to your favourite band in your car. Alone. But you’d never cared what they thought. The people of Hawkins had some good points, but mostly they were small-minded assholes who hated anyone different.

And you had always been different.

You’d always been an outcast, a misfit, a rebel. Never really fitting in, at home, at school. And you liked it that way. You did you; your style, your hair, your makeup, your music, your hobbies. Your younger brother, Dustin, was much the same, though more nerd than weirdo. Although, now that he was in high school, he was moving into weirdo territory. He was still adorable though, and he hated it when you called him that. Naturally, you called him that all the time, because what else are big sisters for? 

A sudden loud banging on your door made you jump. You turned around to find Dustin laughing his head off at you. You rolled down the window, glaring at him angrily.

‘You shithead. I am so not covering for you with mom anymore,’ you hissed. 

‘Aww, come on y/n! That’s not fair. You only cover for me when it’s serious,’ he complained.

You stubbed your cigarette out and folded your arms. ‘Oh? And what about last week when I forged mom’s signature on your latest D-?’ 

‘One time! One time I asked you-’

‘Well, it was more for mom than you. What would happen if she found out her poor baby Dusty wasn’t the little genius she thought he was?’ Your voice was heavy with sarcasm. 

It was a constant point of contention between you and your mom. It was very clear that Dustin was the golden child, her favourite, no matter what. While you were the daughter she was not expecting and didn’t really want. You were never sure if it was because you’d been an accident, and your parents had to get married, or because you were the freak of the family - even with Dustin’s penchant for nerdiness and his love of all things science and learning, you were still the freak. You’d out-freaked him from the moment you were born, according to your mom. 

You and she had never gotten along as a result. And it had made you more than a little resentful of the attention she lavished on your little brother. But Dustin didn’t deserve your anger, and you had never blamed him, not even once, for your mother’s behaviour. You and he were as thick as thieves. He told you about school and D and D, and his girlfriend, Suzie. And you showed him what real music was and how to not care what other people thought and to just be himself. As a result, your relationship was stronger than ever. 

It did of course help that you’d saved him from certain death a handful of times now. When everything happened with Will, you were the first person Dustin had come to. When he found Dart, you were the first person he told. You’d gotten separated when everything went down at Starcourt. You’d been with Nancy, but you’d kept in contact via the radios and you’d helped keep him safe from the Russians. Dustin was basically your best friend. Not that you didn’t love Robin, who’d you’d known since kindergarten and despite your differences you’d stayed friends all that time, but Dustin was family. 

And you took your job as a big sister very seriously. With maximum teasing, of course.

‘Hey! No fair! I am a genius,’ Dustin protested.

‘In all things but history, apparently,’ you said, rolling your eyes and lighting another cigarette.

Dustin coughed pointedly until you gave him the finger. And then he smiled at you. A sudden beam, directed right at you, puppy dog eyes and all. He wanted something. 

‘So, I need a favour.’

‘Of course you do. What is it this time? Gonna build a robot to take over the world?’

‘No, although that would be really cool-’

‘Got another D?’

‘That hurts, y/n. That really hurts.’

‘Want to go to a party and need to sneak out?’

‘Well, it’s a kind of party-’

‘Running away to be with Suzie forever?’

‘Tempting, but no.’

‘Well, spit it out already. I don’t got all day here, Squish.’

‘I hate it when you call me that.’

‘I have always called you Squish. You will never stop me. I am too powerful.’ You mimed karate chopping your palm, making him roll his eyes, but he was smiling all the same.

‘I need a favour for tonight’s D and D game.’

‘I’m not baking again. Last time took forever.’

‘Look, you know it’s all teenage guys. We eat a lot. We’re growing.’

‘Uh-huh. Still took me all day.’

‘I’m not asking you to bake.’

‘Okay, you get a point towards your favour.’

You glanced at the clock on your dashboard and turned the engine off upon realising the time. You climbed out of the car, making Dustin back up hastily. You locked the car and started off towards the high school, your brother trailing behind hurriedly. 

‘So the championship game is tonight, and Lucas is being all Lucas about it.’

‘Well, it sounds like a big deal to him.’

‘He’s on the bench y/n! How is that a big deal?’

‘He’s still gotta be there.’

‘Yeah, but we’re at the end of Eddie’s sadistic campaign. We’re literally about to finish it, and now Lucas can’t come because of the game. And we already tried asking Eddie to move it, but he was already pretty revved up-’

‘Yeah, I saw his little performance in the cafeteria. That was really something,’ you said, grinning. ‘I especially liked the devil horns he did at Jason. I thought that was a nice touch.’

‘I’ll tell him you said so. But back to my life, we need a sub for Lucas tonight. And I was wondering, since you’ve played before, I mean, you taught me to play, so you know what you’re doing, and-’

‘Dustin, is this rambling going anywhere?’ You flicked your cigarette away and turned to face him outside the entrance to the school, your arms folded and an eyebrow raised as words spilled out of his mouth a mile a minute.

‘Right, sorry. Would you come to D and D tonight and play with us so we can finish this campaign and not wind up with all our characters dead on the floor?’ He flashed you his best puppy dog eyes, and they were pretty good.

You pretended to think about it for a moment, tilting your head to the side, just to make him sweat. You were supposed to be meeting Robin at work, but you hadn’t made solid plans. She wouldn’t mind if you explained that Dustin needed you. She was very fond of him, too. And it had been a while since you’d played. Your old group from middle school had moved away, or turned away from D and D and got in with the popular crowd. You’d taught Dustin to play because he always wanted to know what you were doing, and he seemed genuinely interested. 

You’d even DM’d a few of their first campaigns until Will and Mike got the hang of it. You’d need to dig out your old character sheets, and you’d need to borrow Dustin’s copy of the latest rulebook, so you could go over it before the game tonight. But you really would do anything for your brother, and that included attending Hellfire Club last minute so he could keep his character alive. And besides, you knew Eddie. Knew him as in you’d seen him around, had a few classes together and recognised a fellow outcast and chatted once or twice, and put up with Dustin’s non-stop chatter about him from the moment he joined Hellfire. Eddie was nice and funny. So tonight would at least be somewhat fun for you.

‘Sure. I want a t-shirt though,’ you said, watching as Dustin’s jaw dropped.

‘Really? You’d play? You’ll come?!’ He all but yelled at you in his excitement, practically jumping up and down. 

‘I meant what I said about the shirt, though,’ you called as you walked away. 

‘I’ll get you one!’ 

You laughed as you waved goodbye, watching Dustin manically fist pump the air. You really did love your little brother. 

Dustin kept his word and turned up with a shirt for you an hour after school was over. You were in your room, trying to decide which character to use for tonight’s game. You had a few to pick from, but were partial to your half elf assassin known as Lady Nightingale. She was chaotically good, ferocious, and an expert in poisons, making her a lot of fun to play. Plus, she was good for sneaking and messing up enemy plans. You took your D and D seriously, and you knew from Dustin, so did Eddie. Which meant you needed to be prepared. 

Dustin threw the shirt at you and it hit you in the face. When you turned a glare his way, he held his hands up in a gesture of peace.

‘My bad, sorry y/n,’ he said hastily. ‘Eddie had a spare shirt, so he said you could wear this. Though he was curious as to why you were insistent on the shirt.’

‘Gotta look the part,’ you shrugged, leafing through your character sheets again. ‘And you guys all wear yours. I’d stick out like a sore thumb. Not that it would be anything for me to be bothered about, but there’s this guy causing problems and I figure wearing the shirt will make him back off real quick.’

‘What guy?’ Dustin asked, rushing to sit next to you and almost crumpling your character sheets. He winced. ‘Sorry. But this is the first I’m hearing of this.’

‘He’s on the basketball team,’ you told him, rolling your eyes. ‘So he’s convinced he’s some kind of god. Personally, I think he sees me as a challenge. Thinks if he can convince the weird girl to go out with him, it’ll make him look manly or some shit.’

Dustin snorted. ‘And he doesn’t know what the word no means?’

‘More like he thinks being persistent and annoying the ever loving fuck out of me will get me to go out with him despite my steadfast refusal.’ You rolled your eyes again, finally deciding to stick with Lady Nightingale. You’d already looked through the rule book and caught up on the changes to this edition, and read Dustin’s notes on Eddie’s campaign so you wouldn’t be lost. 

‘Want me to get Suzie to hack into the school and change all his grades to F’s?’

You laughed. ‘Nah, I’ll just kick him where it hurts if he keeps it up after tonight. But thanks for the offer. I should get ready.’

‘And I should radio Suzie.’

‘Tell her I said hi.’

‘Of course.’

You took a shower and got dressed while Dustin spent an hour on the radio with Suzie. You picked out black leather shorts and fishnet stockings and your doc martens to go with the Hellfire t-shirt. You did your makeup and messed about with your hair until you were satisfied it looked right. Feeling ready, you headed to the kitchen to eat dinner before you and Dustin left to get Mike and Erica. Your mom questioned Dustin about what he was doing tonight, but didn’t seem to notice you were there. Not even when you lit a cigarette after you’d finished your food. And she hated that you smoked.

You and Dustin picked Mike and Erica up and then drove to the school. People were piling in for the game, though it didn’t start for another hour or so. You and the boys ignored them, heading for the basement where Hellfire was allowed to hold their games. You weren’t paying a lot of attention to where you were going, too busy rummaging through your bag for your dice (a sparkly purple set that gleamed in the light). You felt someone grasp your shoulder and pull you around.

You came face to face with Jimmy, one of the guys on the basketball team and the one that wouldn’t take no for an answer. You rolled your eyes and folded your arms, ready to just kick him and make a run for it. 

‘What are you wearing, Henderson?’ Jimmy asked, mouth open and eyes wide. 

You smirked. ‘What? You don’t like my outfit?’ You fake pouted and did a twirl, winking at him. ‘I happen to think it suits me.’

‘Since when did you belong to that weird-ass cult?’

You raised an eyebrow at him. ‘Cult? Since when is Dungeons and Dragons a cult?’

‘I’ve read stories. It’s all in the newspapers. It’s all about Satan. A nice girl like you shouldn’t be mixed up in crap like this,’ he said, moving forward as you took several steps away from him until your back hit the wall. 

‘Well, you know what they say about Satan, don’t you?’ Said a voice. ‘He has eyes everywhere.’

Eddie was leaning nonchalantly against the doorframe that lead to the basement. He winked at you and you smiled gratefully at him, thankful for the interruption and the opportunity to walk away without having to beat Jimmy up. Not that you’d be bothered if you had to. But if Eddie’s arrival distracted him and meant you could escape with minimal interaction, that was a win in your book. The less you had to do with him, the better. 

‘You look good in my shirt,’ Eddie grinned, and you twirled in place for him, making him smirk smugly at Jimmy. 

Jimmy went red in the face and took a step back. ‘You’re wearing his shirt?!’

‘I’d say it looks pretty good on me too,’ you replied, ignoring Jimmy. You pushed past him and walked towards Eddie. ‘You coming?’

‘Sure,’ he said, waving to Jimmy. ‘Later, ball boy.’ 

That set you off, giggling as you took the stairs down to the basement. Eddie grinned at you. ‘Dustin never told me his sister played D and D.’

You shrugged. ‘I was the one that got him into it. My middle school party all disappeared in high school. I DM’d a few times for Dustin when his party was starting out. But I haven’t played in a while.’

‘So you’re saying you’re rusty?’ Eddie asked, an eyebrow raised as you stepped into the basement proper. 

You raised an eyebrow back. ‘Are you doubting my abilities, Munson? Because that sounds like a bad idea to me. A. Very. Bad. Idea.’ With each word, you stepped closer, until you were so close you had to tilt your head up to look at him. 

‘Nah. But I’m sure Dustin told you how hard this campaign is.’ He said, eyes flicking down to your lips and back to your eyes again as he spoke. 

‘Sadistic is the word he used,’ you smiled, meeting his warm brown eyes. 

Eddie grinned. ‘Yeah, that fits.’

‘Hey!’ 

You both turned lazily to look at your brother, who was glaring at you both. ‘You can have your little catch-up or whatever later. Let’s play.’

Eddie laughed and went to take his seat. 

‘A throne? Little on the nose, don’t you think?’ You said as you took your own seat at the end of the table. Eddie only winked at you. 

You gave Erica a hug hello. You’d formed a strong bond after last summer, swapping tips for messing with your brothers. Dustin introduced you to the other members of the party, who all mumbled their hellos. When you looked at Dustin quizzically, he just shrugged, as confused as you were. When you looked back at Eddie, he was smirking knowingly. You shook your head at him, though he was smiling. 

The game got underway, and you understood almost immediately why Dustin raved about Eddie so much. As a Dungeon Master, he was incredible. He was a showman, through and through, and he didn’t waste a second of his time. He had you all hooked from the moment he spoke, and you felt yourself sinking into the world he created through words, voices, and actions. He never seemed to sit still, and though he was sadistic at turns, he was also acutely aware that you were playing for fun. There was never a dull moment, and you were mesmerised. 

It all lead to a tense moment where you, Erica, and Dustin were the sole remaining party members. Dustin missed. You shaved off a few hit points. But it was Erica who rolled a D20 and scored a critical hit, thus ending Vecna’s reign of terror. You all crowded round and congratulated her, patting her on the back and pronouncing her the Queen of D and D, which she took as her due. As she should. While the others were talking over the campaign and generally just being loud and excitable, you helped Eddie clean up. 

‘That was amazing, Munson, I gotta say,’ you said, smiling up at him as you stacked chairs together. 

Eddie grinned at you. ‘Well, I am amazing, yes.’

You had to laugh. You shook your head at him as you gathered up the trash left sprawled over the table and dumped it in the bin. ‘I meant the campaign, and your performance as DM.’ 

‘Amounts to the same thing, doesn’t it?’ He asked, playing with his chocolate curls. 

You smiled. ‘Sure, I guess I can let you have that.’

‘Can I expect you to be attending more of these? Or are you one and done?’ He leaned against the table, long legs splayed out in front of him. His eyes were on you as you bent over to pick up your bag, gathering your dice and character sheet and stuffing them inside. When you turned to face him, stretching out the kinks from sitting in the crappy chairs the school left in the basement, his eyes immediately moved to the strip of skin on show as your shirt rode up, and to the tattoos etched there. 

You didn’t mind Eddie looking at you. It wasn’t like he was bad to look at himself. With those curls, the tattoos, and the rings on his hands. You’d never known you could find hands so attractive before. But there was something about Eddie Munson. Something that drew you to him, almost like you recognised a kindred spirit. And there were very few of those in Hawkins. But the way he looked at you was different from other guys. When they stared, you felt violated. 

When Eddie looked at you, it was like he was seeing all of you and wanted to explore every part. It was a heady mix of desire and admiration. And you couldn’t remember ever having someone look at you that way before.

‘You won’t mind if I tag along?’ You asked, though you were pretty sure you knew the answer already. 

‘What and miss out on seeing you in my shirt and therefore pissing off ball boy?’ You laughed and Eddie’s eyes lit up. ‘Seriously, what do you even see in him?’

You punched him lightly on the arm, and he chuckled. ‘Asshole. You know that’s not what’s going on here.’

‘I know,’ he said softly. ‘You need me to be a knight in black armour. I’m your guy.’

You raised an eyebrow. ‘Black armour?’

‘Way more metal.’ You laughed, and he grinned at you. ‘Plus, I’d look cool with a sword.’

‘Maybe I’ll bake sword cookies for the next meeting.’

‘Seriously?’ Eddie stood up hastily, his head dipping down to meet your eyes. ‘Because the last ones Dustin brought were amazing. Like, super amazing. We basically had a fight over the last one. We had to roll for it in the end.’ 

You giggled. ‘I’ll make sure to make plenty then.’

‘You would be our queen, if you did,’ he said very seriously. 

‘Hmm, does that mean you’d kneel at my feet?’ You asked, looking up at him and batting your lashes. 

Eddie’s voice was husky when he spoke. ‘Say the word, my lady, and I’ll get on my knees for you any time.’ 

‘And if I decide I like you down there?’ You replied, as you both leaned closer to one another. You could feel the warmth radiating off of him, and smell the cologne he wore and the cigarettes he smoked. 

‘Then that’s where I’ll stay,’ he murmured, moving to brush a strand of wayward hair out of your eyes. 

‘Hey!’ 

You both turned at the sudden shout. Dustin was hurrying over to you. ‘You ready to go, y/n?’ He asked, glaring at Eddie as he did so. 

‘Sure,’ you shrugged. You turned back to Eddie. ‘See you later, Munson.’

‘A good day to you, my lady,’ Eddie replied, sweeping into an elegant theatrical bow. You laughed, and he winked at you as you turned to go collect Erica and Mike. He watched you go, feeling his heart pounding in his chest. He swore you’d heard it. Had heard how nervous he was, now that he was actually talking to you. Flirting with you. Where had that come from? And you’d flirted back, responding to his interest.

Dustin stayed behind, still glaring at Eddie. ‘What do you think you’re doing, Eddie?’

‘Uh, now?’ 

‘You know what I mean.’ 

‘Talking to your sister? Is that not allowed, or something?’ Eddie looked nonplussed for a minute, before breaking out into a large grin and messing up Dustin’s hair. ‘Kid, your sister’s a big girl, and she decides what she does. If she didn’t want to talk to me, she wouldn’t.’

‘I’m just saying-’

‘You’d rather she talked to ball boy?’

‘No. But she’s not-’

‘What? She’s off limits?’ Eddie shrugged. ‘Too late, broke that rule. Never did like rules anyway.’ 

And he wasn’t going to listen to any rules where you were concerned. He’d break them all for a chance to have you close to him again. To watch you smile, to look at him how you’d looked when he’d interrupted your conversation with ball boy. And the sight of you in his shirt. He didn’t think you’d actually wear it, but you had. One look at you, and he was a goner. He’d been a goner from the moment he first saw you, last year out in the parking lot, dancing by yourself in your car, cigarette in one hand, Motley Crue on the radio, not caring who saw you as you sang along. He’d been hooked and had looked for you ever since. But he’d never plucked up the courage to talk to you himself, let alone flirt with you and see if his feelings were reciprocated. Until now.

Dustin rolled his eyes at his friend. ‘How about you flirt less and concentrate on passing senior year?’

‘Ooh, cold, kid, real cold,’ Eddie said, clutching his heart. ‘Keep it up and I’ll start thinking I’m not good enough for your sister.’

‘Just leave me out of this, that’s all I’m asking.’

‘It’s not like I’d invite you on our dates.’

‘You asked her on a date?’ Dustin stared at him.

‘Wouldn’t you like to know?’

‘Yes, yes, I would Eddie!’ 

Eddie only grinned and walked away.

‘Eddie!’

Taglist: @efvyqrs

To be tagged in this fic, reply to the masterlist post! To be tagged in Eddie fics, or stranger things fics message me directly/send an ask! Thank you :)

[stan-the-cinnamon-roll-uris]

After thinking about the whole using your favourite song to get free of Vecna concept for a bit I started wondering how the group would react to their favourite songs post-Vecna.

Because even just talking from my own experience, even the best songs can absolutely be ruined by trauma.

So in the end, once Vecna is dead and everything is said and done, I imagine it's gonna go something like this:

Max who survives Vecna in the end. Battered and bruised, almost blind and bound to a wheelchair but she survives. And she still has Lucas. She still has her friends that care for her and look after her, her found family, only that now whenever she hears Kate Bush, she ends up with full blown anxiety attacks, feeling like she's back in that horrible place in the Upside Down. Not just with "Running up that hill" but Kate Bush in general because it's the singer's voice that is branded into her brain now.

Eddie, who gets released from the hospital after the group barely got him out of the Upside Down alive and immediately sets up a date for a Corroded Coffin band rehearsal even though he's supposed to take it slow but this is all he ever wanted to do. His trip to hell and back is all he thinks about in the days leading up to their band meet up and the fact that he helped save the world with a Metallica song and his own electric guitar. But once he sits in front of his waiting band mates his hands freeze. And he tries to play, just like he remembers doing in the Upside Down, he can almost feel it in his fingertips, too, but sitting there in Gareth's garage he can't. It's like his hands are stuck to the strings and his throat closes up and his healing bites start itching again and it's not fair because that's his song now and he was so certain they'd kill it at their next gig but Eddie can't. Not that song. Never again.

Now, Nancy is the one that never really cared much about music but she cares a lot about being prepared, especially after getting dragged into everything with the Upside Down. Nancy, who is the one collecting all of their favourite songs, neatly putting them on a list and fixing up a mixtape for her car. Thankfully she never has to use it but she can never bring herself to throw it out, either, because what if the time comes where they need to be prepared again? So instead it ends up getting banished to her glove department. Never able to throw it away, but unable to look at it without shuddering, either.

Or Robin who didn't even know what song to chose in case of a Vecna emergency because her favourite song changes daily. Robin's cassette collection at home is diverse and excessive, as her mom loves to remind her, but it's just hard when sometimes she needs to listen to the same 5 songs for a month and other times it feels like she needs to listen to 100 different songs a day. Even when Nancy comes to her about the mixtape she's not sure she even chose the right song so she just ends up doing her own mixtape. She keeps it with her until the day Vecna is defeated before crashing it under one of the Beamer's tires as Steve is finally teaching her how to drive.

And lastly Steve who always listened to Queen, Abba, Madonna and everything pop on the radio but after almost losing several of his friends it's just not the same. Everytime he listens to "I want to break free" now, he remembers Russian spies and finding Eddie half dead in Dustin's arms and watching Max at the hospital getting wheeled into surgery and he gets anxious and there's so much anger now. Robin and Dustin have tried to get him into different styles of music before and now there's Eddie who only ever talks about Metal and that's not quite it but turns out Punk works quite well when you want to scream it out alone in the car.

[the-teddy-bear-butch]

I’m posting Cyberpunk Ronance thoughts because it’s my blog and I can do what I want

I’m just, I know the game isn’t the best in the world, but god if the storyline didn’t break me, okay?

If you care about Cyberpunk spoilers (not including the show), do not read any further

I think there’s a lot of different ways this au could be played

I think Nancy being V makes good sense if you look at V’s characterization as this badass, ambitious person who ends up in a shitty situation but keeps fighting because it’s all she’s ever known. Bonus V and Nancy and GUNS and general badassery. In this version, perhaps Robin is Johnny—chaotic mess of a human who’s life went to shit, although I see her being less of an overall bastard. Robin in aviators? Robin in aviators. The banter between them with Robin literally stuck in Nancy’s head and apologizing over and over for literally being a sentient brain tumor? Kill me now. Bonus, Barb is Jackie, the good natured friend who helps Nancy and gets killed early on as a consequence of her and Nancy’s ambition. As much as my sad little heart loves angst, I like to think the ending could be twisted, like maybe they find Robin’s body so her engram can be put back into it and Nancy can survive. I just don’t want the ending to be sad, damnit. Panam could be Max maybe? Hmmm. Or maybe El.

I’m also fond of the idea of Robin as V, however, and it boils down to the V/Johnny relationship. Picture with me for a moment: Eddie as Johnny. He fits the bill too well. Bastard of a rocker boy who did drugs and has pretty hair. He gets stuck in the head of one Robin Buckley, and it’s instant wlw/mlm hostility (but it morphs into solidarity, I promise). In this version, I think Steve is heartbreakingly Jackie. Their personalities line up too well. Throwing a bone to the Steddies tho, Steve could be Kerry and all the Johnny/Kerry moments become Steddie. Then Barb could still be Jackie? Or Steve is Jackie and Barb is T-Bug, RIP. Who is Nancy, then? Well, I think Panam or Judy are both excellent options. Just think, Nancy Wheeler, the tech genius who reports and edits brain dances on the side, an ex member of the baddest girl gang in Night City, the Moxes? Sick. But! Nancy Wheeler, badass mercenary who strikes out from her clan on her own to follow ambition and independence, but eventually coming back as a leader. Tbh I’m leaning more the Judy route, as much as I love Panam. The underwater date? Nancy finally being vulnerable, showing Robin her flooded home? Memories of Mike—long since moved away—and her family? Nancy saving Robin from almost dying because of Eddie’s damn chip? Robin being so soft with her afterward? Nancy giving Robin her key? Also Nancy is a vengeful woman and the whole Clouds arc would be something she could do, I think—and Robin helps because ofc, it’s Nancy. THEY’RE GAY YOU’RE HONOR. And, because of course I’m choosing the ending where you leave with the nomads, Nancy leaves Night City with Robin, and she promises to help Robin find a cure (and they do because fuck you ambiguous game ending). I’m thinking this is the ideal scenario for me.

Or the above but it’s Eddie as Johnny, Nancy as V, Robin as Panam, I like that too.

Chrissy is undoubtedly Misty in any version, only she’s not dating the Jackie character because she’s a lesbian in my mind and you can pry that headcanon from my cold dead hands. Maybe Vickie is Victor (heh, Vic, same nickname) and they have a little tension going on with Chrissy’s Esoterica being right outside Vickie’s Clinic.

Maybe agent Owens as Takemura? Henry is Yorinobu, Brenner is Saburo. The female agent who’s name I can’t remember is Hanako. I feel like these all fit scary well.

Ofc Hopper is Saul, you can’t tell me he doesn’t fit that role damn near perfect. Most of the rest of the Hawkins crew are probably Aldecaldos as well. I’m thinking Jonathan is Mitch and Argyle could be Scorpion (I know that one is a bad fit but fight me on it, Jargyle boyfriends and also Scorpion/Argyle gets to live because it’s my au and I can do what I want). Thinking about El as Panam more now actually, her stubborn personality and whatnot. It’s vibes, okay? It’s 1 am, let me enjoy my brain worms.

Beyond who’s who: think about Nancy Wheeler with mantis blades. Need I say more? She’s a badass with a katana and throwing knives, and REALLY scary good at hacking. She has a professional cyberdeck and all the best tech. I think she’d be a Corpo background V. Don’t put her in hand to hand combat though, she is small and will get her shit wrecked.

But! Robin Buckley would have less tech. She doesn’t trust it—maybe she’s a conspiracy theorist, sue her. She’s a Nomad background V, and she is really good with bigger guns and weapons that require less finesse. I’m picturing her with a trusty baseball bat and a shotgun that she alternates between. When she does hack, it’s usually cameras and whatnot for stealth missions—but we all know she’s bad with coordination and most stealth missions turn into guns blazing missions. Oops?